Arganese-McDermott: "I've been patient, and it's paid off"
Sat 01 February 2025, 19:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Pele Arganese-McDermott has opened up about returning from injury to make his debut for Wayne Burnett's Under-21 side since the turn of the year.
The 19-year-old made his debut starting in January's Premier League 2 fixture at Derby County and has started all five games in all competitions since then.
That run has seen him rack up over 500 minutes so far, picking up victories against Dinamo Zagreb and Liverpool, with the latter win featuring a clean sheet.
Reflecting on a challenging period personally, Pele said: "It was a tough last year getting frustrated with my injuries, but credit to the staff they've got me back up to speed.
"They've kept me positive and made sure I understood to just keep doing for myself, and it's been worth it.
"Now I'm back and I'm getting a bit of a run it's paying off, I've trained well everyday since I've been back on the grass and now I've got to push on."
Since returning, Pele's been trusted by Under-21s coach Wayne Burnett to play every minute of the last six fixtures in all competitions, a run which has included two wins and a clean sheet: "I've enjoyed being back out there, and it's a real boost to have that faith shown in you.
"But confidence also comes from results, trying not concede as many goals like today (after Liverpool), we got a clean sheet.
"Hopefully we can just build on that and try and get more clean sheets, and then the results will hopefully follow."
Victory against Liverpool came during a physical encounter with the Reds, something Pele relishes: "I do like a slide challenge and in my position you have to like that side of the game.
"You hear or see a big tackle, and then everyone's chanting and allowed to get up behind each other in a tough moment. I think it really helps.
"I wasn't injured at all so it definitely looked worse than it was and I was annoyed I had to stay off and change my shirt because I was focused on my job - but we got the clean sheet and the result and that's the most important thing."
