Football
Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham Correspondent 7y

Tottenham defender Kyle Walker-Peters eyes Kyle Walker first XI spot

ORLANDO -- Under-20 World Cup winner Kyle Walker-Peters has said he wants to become Tottenham's back-up right-back and learn from his near-namesake.

Kyle Walker's £50 million move to Manchester City has left Kieran Trippier as Spurs' only senior right-back, but last week Trippier said he faced stiff competition from 20-year-old Walker-Peters, who has yet to make his competitive debut.

The youngster started Saturday's 4-2 friendly win over Paris Saint-Germain in the International Champions Cup in Orlando and said afterwards: "There's a big opportunity now that Kyle Walker has gone.

"I'm trying to show that I can be second in line -- these are the games to do that out here, and back at the training ground.

"I want to show the manager I'm ready, I want to show him he can trust me in big games if he needs to. These games are the time to do it and on the training pitch, too.

"I want to get stronger, I want to keep getting faster, I want to work on my crossing.

"Kieran and Kyle have given me advice. They're telling me to talk a lot more on the pitch, get your winger to help you out.

"Seeing them in training, watching their crossing... obviously Kieran Trippier is very good at crossing, Kyle is very strong. So seeing them on the training pitch, I've learnt like that.

"It was very tough playing at the highest level against a team like PSG, a Champions League team. It was a learning curve, and I can only get better from playing these games."

Walker-Peters forced his way into the England U20 team out of position at left-back and played a key role as they triumphed in South Korea last month.

He said he had spoken to England teammate Joshua Onomah about the step up to first team football and believes he will only gain from his experience with the Young Lions.

"The U20 World Cup was incredible," he said. "Again, it was a massive test playing against players who play first-team football regularly at their clubs.

"It helped us get better, it helped us stay fit for the start of the season, and obviously we were delighted to win it.

"Josh has told me that the intensity is a lot higher, people are a lot more physical. I'll only get used to that by playing in these games, and hopefully I'll get more opportunities and get better."

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