Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has praised Oliver Skipp during preseason training.

The midfielder is staying at the club this summer and is back to full fitness after injury issues last term.

Postecoglou will be introducing a new style of play at the club and was asked if Skipp will play a part.

He told reporters: “Yeah, he is part of my plans, absolutely. We gave him the option. It's fair to say that with it being a tournament and him being successful, you want him to enjoy that because probably when he reflects later in his life it will be one of the highlights of his career.

“You don't want him to jump from one thing to another. We left it in his corner. I was more than prepared for him to miss this trip but in the back of my mind I like the fact that he came back early (laughs). It didn't surprise me that that's the decision he made and he's been great.

“He's in really good physical condition, you can see that. He's probably ahead of some of the other guys and he's adapting really well to the way we're training."

Asked if Skipp could be a future captain, he added: “Yeah, I don't look at things like that. Leadership in my view is not that relevant to age. You can be a leader when young just by actions and he trains hard every day and from that point of view, that's leadership to me. Because when you present every day a certain level, whether it's a game or its training, that's leadership because that gives an example to others.

“He certainly does that and whether that means he develops as a captain or into a really influential player, doesn't really matter. What's really important is you can see that he prides himself on giving maximum every time he's asked, and for me there are definitely some leadership qualities there."