A few months ago, Senegalese young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr was tasked with stopping Harry Kane when the Lions of Teranga met England in the World Cup, but on Tuesday night, the boy from Thiaroye was Harry’s best teammate and Spurs’ best player in the slender defeat away to AC Milan.It was only the sixth appearance of the season for the 20-year-old, but you would never guess it by looking at his movement, confidence and urgency. He looked like the real deal as the English team remained in the running for a place in the UCL last eight.Pape Matar Sarr vs AC Milan [@papematarsarr15] pic.twitter.com/o0zgVpWieQ— Senegal Comps 🇸🇳 (@SenegalComps) February 15, 2023 Rocked by the injury to Rodrigo Bentancur over the weekend, with it announced that the midfielder would miss the remainder of the season, grossly inexperienced pair Sarr and Oliver Skipp were handed a tall order in Milan but handled the occasion well. Besides a lot of praise from the supporters, Pape also received a stellar review from his boss Antonio Conte. Even though they will have a deficit to overturn in the second leg on 8 March, the Italian was pleased with his midfield duo.”To have this type of performance from Skippy and Pape Sarr makes me happy because I have seen a lot of improvement in these players and it means we are working very well with them. It means they are improving and for sure they will be the future for Tottenham but at the same time, they will be present. I have to consider them important players.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7023749##Sarr underlined the maturity of his display by having more touches (76) and playing more passes (59) than any other player on the pitch including Milan’s Italian international midfielder Sandro Tonali. The Senegalese also defended bravely throughout, while Skipp was not far behind and looked at ease in front of 74,320 fans in a high-pressure atmosphere. Прикажи ову објаву у апликацији Instagram Објава коју дели Pape matar sarr (@pape_matar_sarr_15) Speaking after the match on Tuesday, former Tottenham and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas praised the inexperienced pair.”Eyeballs were on them. They stood tall and were the positives that came out of tonight. Sarr in particular, his passing, how aggressive he was in midfield, Skipp in his first Champions League experience on such a stage, it was a real positive for Antonio Conte to say he can rely on them. Big tackles, getting back, breaking up interceptions, it was good to see.”The former Metz youngster has now truly announced himself at Tottenham. The tougher task will be to keep his position amid strong competition in Conte’s side. Now, at least, everyone knows his name.
