Markanday ‘proud’ of first Premier League 2 hat-trick
Tue 24 August 2021, 15:46|
Tottenham Hotspur
Dilan Markanday couldn’t hide his pride after firing home his first hat-trick in the Premier League 2.
Coming in our Under-23s' 4-2 win over a lively Leeds United on Monday afternoon, the forward – who celebrated his 20th birthday last week - fired home three quality goals in the first half at The Whites’ Thorp Arch Training Centre.
Keeping up the impressive performances he showed in pre-season, in which he scored five times in as many outings, including a hat-trick against Ramsgate in July, Dilan now has four league goals to his name already this campaign having opened his account in our first game of the season – a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.
“Obviously, I’m very proud and happy to score a hat-trick but, ultimately, it was to help the team and we’re very happy with the three points,” Dilan smiled. “It was a tough game, so we had to grind through it. They run a lot and they press really high, so it was a difficult game.
“We found it hard to play out from the back, they made it very difficult for us, but we stuck at it. We had to adjust our ideas, but I thought we did very well to get through and I’m very happy we could get the win.”
With such accomplished finishes to complete his hat-trick, you might have thought Dilan had played as a centre forward throughout his years in our Academy yet, having played predominantly in attacking midfield or on the wings during his development, his recent stellar displays leading our front line demonstrates just how versatile he is.
And the second of his three goals laid true just how natural a finisher he is as he twisted and turned past three players before picking out the roof of the net with an emphatic strike.
“I didn’t really think about it,” Dilan remarked on the goal. “I just did what I could to get past the defenders and somehow managed to get myself in a position to shoot and I had to make sure that opportunity counted. I just made sure it went in the back of the net.
“And it’s good to play a lot of positions – you have to be able to adapt to different roles in the team. Obviously, it’s a new experience for me to play in that number nine position and I think it’s going to help me having played in the number 10 position and on the wing with all the runs in behind. I think it’s just all about being adaptable, doing your best at what the coach asks of you and doing your best for the team.”
