https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...us-edwards-has-attitude-mentality-questioned/
Spurs' wonderkid Marcus Edwards has attitude and mentality questioned as Norwich loan cut short
Matt Law, football news correspondent
11 APRIL 2018 • 5:43PM
Marcus Edwards, the Tottenham Hotspur youngster compared to Lionel Messi by manager Mauricio Pochettino, is in line for a lecture on his time-keeping and general attitude after his loan spell at Norwich City was cut short.
The 19-year-old returned to Spurs this week, having played only six minutes for Championship club Norwich after joining on loan in January.Edwards was meant to stay with the Canaries until the end of the season, but both clubs confirmed that he had returned to Tottenham due to ‘personal reasons’.
Telegraph Sport understands a number of issues contributed to Edwards’ disappointing spell at Norwich, including his poor time-keeping.It is believed he failed to arrive on time for a single training session and was also late for team meetings, much to the bewilderment of Norwich’s senior professionals.His attitude and failure to engage with the rest of Norwich’s squad surprised the other players, although sources at Tottenham point out that Edwards has an introverted personality that can be misunderstood.
Edwards was on the substitutes’ bench for Norwich’s victory over Aston Villa, but he once again failed to get on to the pitch. There became a sense that the loan had become a waste of time for all parties and it was terminated ahead of the Canaries’ draw with Sunderland.
Tottenham are set to waive any remaining fees due to them from Norwich as part of the loan, as the relationship between the two clubs remains strong.
It was in 2016, ahead of handing him his senior debut in the EFL Cup against Gillingham, that Pochettino compared Edwards to Messi by saying: “His qualities? It's only looks, his body and the way that he plays, remind a little bit from the beginning of Messi. He’s small, he’s left-footed.” Encouraged to choose a different player to compare Edwards to by the concerned head of communications, Pochettino added: “Ok, remember a little bit (Erik) Lamela when he was at River Plate. When he was 14, 15 years old, there are a lot of videos on YouTube that you can see, that he took the ball, didn't give a pass and shot straight away.
“He [Edwards] is a very good prospect and, potentially, he can be a top player but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player but now it's how he builds his future, that's very important. And it's our responsibility to tell him.”
But in his book, Brave New World, Pochettino admitted the Messi comparison had been a mistake and revealed some of the problems surrounding Edwards.
He wrote: “Sometimes I wonder whether it was was to liken him(Edwards) to Messi. He was only 17. At that age, Messi was making his debut for a Barcelona side featuring Ronaldinho.
“They're from different families, backgrounds and cultures. One of them thinks like an Argentinian and the other like an Englishman. Marcus is still in the process of adapting to the rigours or being a professional, which require you to act and think differently, be disciplined and make sacrifices. “He has authority and behavioural problems, and we have to look at the bigger picture to find out the root cause. There was a time when it would have been seen as impossible for him to play professionally, let alone make it in the Premier League.“Our challenge is to get him to accept the pathway we've laid out for him, and it's our responsibility to make sure he behaves himself when he trains with the first team (with all the rules and obligations this involves). He has no shortage of talent, but there are gaps to be filled: he has to learn to score ugly, run more and be committed.”
Spurs' wonderkid Marcus Edwards has attitude and mentality questioned as Norwich loan cut short
Matt Law, football news correspondent
11 APRIL 2018 • 5:43PM
Marcus Edwards, the Tottenham Hotspur youngster compared to Lionel Messi by manager Mauricio Pochettino, is in line for a lecture on his time-keeping and general attitude after his loan spell at Norwich City was cut short.
The 19-year-old returned to Spurs this week, having played only six minutes for Championship club Norwich after joining on loan in January.Edwards was meant to stay with the Canaries until the end of the season, but both clubs confirmed that he had returned to Tottenham due to ‘personal reasons’.
Telegraph Sport understands a number of issues contributed to Edwards’ disappointing spell at Norwich, including his poor time-keeping.It is believed he failed to arrive on time for a single training session and was also late for team meetings, much to the bewilderment of Norwich’s senior professionals.His attitude and failure to engage with the rest of Norwich’s squad surprised the other players, although sources at Tottenham point out that Edwards has an introverted personality that can be misunderstood.
Edwards was on the substitutes’ bench for Norwich’s victory over Aston Villa, but he once again failed to get on to the pitch. There became a sense that the loan had become a waste of time for all parties and it was terminated ahead of the Canaries’ draw with Sunderland.
Tottenham are set to waive any remaining fees due to them from Norwich as part of the loan, as the relationship between the two clubs remains strong.
It was in 2016, ahead of handing him his senior debut in the EFL Cup against Gillingham, that Pochettino compared Edwards to Messi by saying: “His qualities? It's only looks, his body and the way that he plays, remind a little bit from the beginning of Messi. He’s small, he’s left-footed.” Encouraged to choose a different player to compare Edwards to by the concerned head of communications, Pochettino added: “Ok, remember a little bit (Erik) Lamela when he was at River Plate. When he was 14, 15 years old, there are a lot of videos on YouTube that you can see, that he took the ball, didn't give a pass and shot straight away.
“He [Edwards] is a very good prospect and, potentially, he can be a top player but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player but now it's how he builds his future, that's very important. And it's our responsibility to tell him.”
But in his book, Brave New World, Pochettino admitted the Messi comparison had been a mistake and revealed some of the problems surrounding Edwards.
He wrote: “Sometimes I wonder whether it was was to liken him(Edwards) to Messi. He was only 17. At that age, Messi was making his debut for a Barcelona side featuring Ronaldinho.
“They're from different families, backgrounds and cultures. One of them thinks like an Argentinian and the other like an Englishman. Marcus is still in the process of adapting to the rigours or being a professional, which require you to act and think differently, be disciplined and make sacrifices. “He has authority and behavioural problems, and we have to look at the bigger picture to find out the root cause. There was a time when it would have been seen as impossible for him to play professionally, let alone make it in the Premier League.“Our challenge is to get him to accept the pathway we've laid out for him, and it's our responsibility to make sure he behaves himself when he trains with the first team (with all the rules and obligations this involves). He has no shortage of talent, but there are gaps to be filled: he has to learn to score ugly, run more and be committed.”
