Gary Neville says £39m Tottenham player did something ‘unbelievable’ during draw vs Leicester

Although Tottenham Hotspur eventually succumbed to Jamie Vardy’s goal scoring prowess back in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou’s side gave a good account of themselves against Leicester City.

No doubt, Postecoglou will be incredibly frustrated that Tottenham’s first half dominance didn’t lead to three points at the King Power.

James Maddison was in superb form back at his old club, evidently keen to improve on the second half of last season.

Postecoglou shared his plan for Maddison at Tottenham over pre-season, saying that the playmaker’s confidence wasn’t an issue last term, rather he was being held back by his fitness.

But on evidence of his display against Leicester, Maddison will be swiftly hoping to return to the England fold once the FA appoint a long-term replacement for Gareth Southgate.

That being said, Maddison was a party to the moment that stunned Gary Neville during Sky Sports’ coverage of the 1-1 draw.

Neville was speaking at half-time in regards to Pedro Porro’s opening goal for Spurs, which game by way of Maddison’s assist.

Gary Neville said Pedro Porro took a ‘massive risk’ to score his goal for Tottenham
Neville often admitted how stunned he was by the positioning of Spurs’ full-backs last season, Porro and Destiny Udogie.

And the pundit was telling a familiar story at the break, commending the courage Porro showed to take up such a position, as well as his ability to finish the chance.

Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Tottenham H…
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Neville said: “Quite often what we see with Spurs is that when they do play down this side, Porro will take a position in and around the edge of the box, we saw him score a goal, a brilliant goal last season from there, and he doesn’t ordinarily move from there, but I think the trigger for him is where he sees Maddison here, he is absolutely brilliant, he takes a massive risk.

“It’s unbelievable that the right-back is in that position and he actually finishes it brilliantly.”

Of course, just like Maddison, Porro will be hoping to build on his performances last season at Tottenham, which almost felt like his first ‘proper’ season in north London.

Spurs signed Porro for £39m in the summer of 2023, having previously joined on loan with an obligation in the January window of that year.

And under Antonio Conte, it never really felt as if the full-back had the right opportunity to shine.

Dominic Solanke of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at The King Power Stadium…

Tottenham Hotspur
English Premier League
Tottenham fans are all in agreement on Dominic Solanke after his debut against Leicester City

Dominic Solanke was given an immediate opportunity to prove that he is the striker to take Tottenham Hotspur to the next level, with Ange Postecoglou starting the £65 million man for Spurs’ opening game of the new Premier League season.

Tottenham stunned many when they decided to part with a hefty sum to bring Dominic Solanke to North London in the transfer window, even following a campaign in which the England international scored 19 times in the Premier League for Bournemouth.

Jamie Carragher questioned Tottenham spending £65 million on Solanke. And some may have expected Ange Postecoglou to take his time to throw him into the side, but the Tottenham boss instead decided to hand him a full debut at the King Power Stadium on Monday night while the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall had to wait for their Spurs bows from the bench.

Tottenham fans discuss Dominic Solanke’s debut against Leicester
There was to be no goal for Solanke and he did appear to be rusty as he missed a handful of very good opportunities. However, plenty of Tottenham fans came away from the game with the Foxes seeing a lot of positives from the 26-year-old.

Dominic Solanke of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at The King Power …
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Solanke was extremely impressive when it came to getting involved in the build-up play with his new teammates, often interchanging with Brennan Johnson on Spurs’ right flank. He worked extremely hard for the side, and there were some encouraging signs with the likes of Heung-min Son and James Maddison producing some delicious touches during the first-half.

‘Improves the team dynamic massively’
Clearly, the pressure is only going to build while he is awaiting his first goal for his new club, but there appears to be a confidence amongst many of the Tottenham fans that Solanke will come good for his new club.

Here is what some of the Tottenham fans were saying about Solanke’s performance during the clash with Leicester on Monday…

Solanke’s fluidity with the rest of the team looks great. Looks like he’s been playing with this side for years

— 🎯 (@MaddersTHFC) August 19, 2024

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THFCDavey: Solanke has looked great pressing and holding up, just need to get the ball to him stop hitting first man with low crosses

Solanke improves the team dynamic massively

— Alex (@xAlexTHFC) August 19, 2024

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Tams_THFC: Solanke has made some great runs.. been unlucky not to score. Come on Dom!

Solanke has been great, still hoping this goal is coming 🔥

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TravisLevison67: Solanke just makes such an incredible difference to the side. Every touch so refined, close to his feet and in control at all times. So used to seeing balls bounce off Richarlison or heavy touches taken in and around the box, creates great opportunities for layoffs too.