Spurs international watch: Youngster makes senior debut | OneFootball

As many of you will know, Spurs youngster Jamie Donley is having a very good time of it on loan at Leyton Orient this season. Although the goals and assists have dried up of late, he is still playing nearly every game, for a side that are pushing for a play off spot in League One.

Back in January, he was named the EFL young player of the month – an award that covers the Championship, League One, and League Two. He was interviewed about it, his season so far, and his ambitions at Spurs – you can read the transcript of that interview here, with a link to the interview itself within the piece.

In February, he impressed live on national television with his performance against Manchester City in the FA Cup – whilst forcing an own goal with his incredible half way line shot that struck the underside of the crossbar.

The 20-year old was born in Northern Ireland and raised in England to a Northern Irish father and an English mother, making him eligible to play for either country. After representing both countries at youth level, Donley chose to play for the Northern Ireland senior team this month, and was called up for friendlies against Switzerland and Sweden.

Jamie Donley makes his Northern Ireland senior debut on Friday

On Friday evening, he made his senior debut – coming on as a second half substitute in a 1-1 draw against the Swiss – playing the final 33 minutes of the game. An incredible moment in a brilliant season for him personally.

They will play Sweden, on Tuesday, the 25th of March at 18:00 GMT. It will be touch and go whether or not he has the possbility to come up against Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall, with the 19-year old having missed training this week with illness – although manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has said it is nothing serious. We will see if he plays any part in their game against Luxembourg on Saturday first.

Either way, another proud day for Donley, it has been some year for him. It will be very interesting to see how Spurs go about his development next season – one would assume he is going to be prepared for a Championship loan, perhaps after a pre-season with Spurs – albeit a pre-season with a loan club could help him to settle in better. The fact he was at Spurs for pre-season last year probably contributed to his slow start at Orient.