Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is happy to talk up the potential of Marcus Edwards.

Edwards made his first-team debut in Tottenham's 5-0 win over Gillingham in the EFL Cup third round.

He was expected to feature tonight (7.45pm) against Liverpool but the skilful playmaker twisted his ankle in training last week.

"I played when I was 17, it is cultural. You ask me about Marcus Edwards, maybe if Marcus Edwards were born in Brazil or Argentina, today he would be one of the most interesting prospects in football in the world," said Pochettino.

"Maybe all the big teams would be fighting to buy him, but he is at Tottenham, he is in England and at 17 he is still a kid. We cannot appreciate he is a man, nearly a man, and he deserves to play.

"But that is the cultural difference and the Premier League is one of the stronger financial leagues. Tottenham, like Liverpool and all the clubs, prefer to buy experience and quality rather than give time to the younger players.

"They bring a player who is 24, 23 or 26 that performs quickly, not wait and build a prospect like Marcus Edwards. That is the balance."