McEneff signs on dotted line

The gifted midfielder who had a successful trial with the Londoners, signed a two year scholarship deal, and his old boss Paul Kee believes he has all the attributes to make it at the highest level, as long as he keeps his head down and continues to work hard, both on and off the pitch.

“Aaron has enough ability about him and he has applied himself well over the last two years, but he needs to go up another notch, now that he’s in England,” conceded Kee.

“Aaron will need to understand that the training patterns are different, they are more intensive and there will be a bigger physical and mental demand, but anyone who wants to do well in the game nowadays has to really throw themselves at it for the first couple of years.

“You have to make a lot of personal sacrifices in terms of relationships, family and friends and there has to be a big resolve, because if there is no resolve then any player will have problems and hopefully Aaron understands that and if he does that, then there is no reason why he can’t do well, because he’s a top young player.”

The White Hart Lane men’s technical co-ordinator Tim Sherwood, whose job is to manage player development across all squads, was impressed by the teenager.

Kee also feels that while McEneff would have been one of the top players in the country at his age, he now moves across to Spurs where they will have a host of talented youngsters.

“There are very few players now going to the top clubs, unless they are top players,” he added.

“The Spurs, Man Uniteds, Man Citys, Chelseas and Arsenals are at the top end of the Premier League and they are only looking at the best kids, so the fact that Aaron has got there is an achievement and a testament for himself, so I think he should embrace that.

“However at the same time while he has got to the top of one ladder, he is now at the bottom of another ladder and in the professional game there are so many players looking to get on in the game.

“There is a lot of hunger and desire in all those players and Aaron needs to have that desire as well and if he does that he’ll have an outside chance of making it, but if he doesn’t then he’s going to find it tough.

“He also has to remember signing for Spurs means everything is different now.

“It’s a totally different ball game now, it was his sport before now it’s his profession, playing football was his hobby, now it’s his living. So you need to have every angle covered and have a lot of discipline.

“Yes you need a lot of support as well but the thing is with a lot of the Irish boys, is leaving home. It’s now a plane journey home rather than a car, bus or train journey home and sometimes that’s a problem as it takes them times to settle into things, but the player has to get comfortable with his surroundings as quick as he can to make sure that he succeeds.”