There were two days in September 2016 when the excitement about Marcus Edwards, the Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate who has just had his loan spell at Norwich City unceremoniously cut short, began to prove impossible to ignore.

The first was a Tuesday, the day before Tottenham’s EFL Cup tie against Gillingham. At the club’s sparkling Enfield training centre Mauricio Pochettino was in a particularly ebullient mood after a strong start to the new season, and was wondering aloud whether to hand the then 17-year-old his first-team debut. “He is a very good prospect and he can be a top player,” he smiled. “Now it is all about how he builds his future which is important.”

And then the comparison which was to generate the headlines. “His qualities … it’s only looks – his body and the way that he plays – they make me remember a little bit the beginning of Lionel Messi.” It was the kind of soundbite that makes journalists relax back into their seats knowing that their story has just been written for them, and something that Pochettino later admitted he regretted saying.

Edwards making his first-team debut for Tottenham (Getty)

In the end Pochettino decided against starting Edwards — Josh Onomah was preferred alongside first-team regulars Christian Eriksen and Érik Lamela — but the diminutive attacking midfielder did come on for the final quarter of an hour, replacing Vincent Janssen. Spurs were already 5-0 up at that point, with many of the families who had taken advantage of the discounted ticket prices beginning to twitch in the direction of the exit.

Those who waited were treated to one final moment of drama. As the game shuffled into injury time, Edwards received the ball out wide on the right, eight Gillingham players stationed in front of him. Twice feigning to cut inside, he swapped passes with Tom Carroll, resuming his run with an exquisitely weighted instep that took him to the edge of the box. With two defenders now closing him down Edwards improvised, subtly shifting his weight and taking three quick touches when he really only had time to take one.

Finally the shot: well struck and seemingly destined for the top corner, until a smart one-handed save from Gillingham’s goalkeeper.

Even with vast swathes of blue plastic chairs visible and the North East corner of the ground gutted in readiness for the diggers to roll in at the end of the season, a warm ripple of appreciation swept around the stadium. It was a 12 second passage of play that hinted at so much more, and neatly encapsulated his fledgling career at that moment in time: joyously talented and undeniably exciting, albeit not quite yet the complete package.

10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Show all 10 1 /10 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Oliver Skipp, 17, Tottenham Hotspur After the successes of Harry Kane and Harry Winks, everyone wants to know who the next English talent to emerge from the Tottenham academy will be. Marcus Edwards, the brilliant little attacking midfielder, is well known, but the next one to emerge is likely to be Oliver Skipp. He is a composed, intelligent holding midfielder who reads the game well and protects the back four. There is even a hope at Spurs that if he can add more physical power to his game he can be the long-term replacement for Victor Wanyama in the first team. Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Trevoh Chalobah, 18 Chelsea The younger brother of Watford midfielder Nathaniel, Trevoh Chalobah has been an important part of successful Chelsea youth teams at all levels since joining the academy. Bigger and taller than his brother, he plays at centre-back and is rated as one of the best defenders of his age anywhere in Europe. Now impressing for Chelsea Under-23s, the next step will be a loan move to the Football League, whether this month or in the summer. Chelsea FC via Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Callum Gribbin, 19, Manchester United Perhaps the most talented of his group at Manchester United, Gribbin is an all-round midfielder who is set for a big year. He has missed the first half of this season with injury but is now back and ready to impress again for the Under-23s. Gribbin, a local boy from Salford, certainly has all the attributes required to make it. Tall but supremely well-balanced, technically sharp and able to glide past opponents in the middle of the pitch, Gribbin, also a set-piece expert, is already a stylish player who just needs to Man Utd via Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Taylor Richards, 17, Manchester City Phil Foden made his first Manchester City start at Shakhtar Donetsk in early December, but City have another brilliant young midfielder heading for the first-team as well. Taylor Richards was signed from Fulham at the age of 14, spotted by City super-scout Joe Shields, the man who found them Jadon Sancho. Richards is an attacking midfielder who has often had to play wide because of Foden, but when Foden was the Under-17 World Cup this year, Richards moved back into a central role and thrived. Has everything he needs to be a top player, and signed his first professional deal this week. Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Sam Field, 19, West Bromwich Albion The Hawthorns have not been a happy place recently but one bright spark has been the emergence of Sam Field from the academy into the first team. A local boy – from Stourbridge – Field is already the best passer of the ball at the club and has earned comparisons with a young Michael Carrick. West Brom have been working hard to provide a pathway for academy youngsters into the first team, a process overseen by legendary defender Darren Moore. And this season Pulis threw Field in, starting him in deep midfield before he was dismissed. An England under-21 call followed and Field is now set for a more prominent role under Alan Pardew. Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Xavier Amaechi, 16, Arsenal The youngest player on this list, Amaechi is one of the best prospects at Arsenal and a player who will be tied to a professional deal there as soon as he turns 17 in January. Amaechi is a left-footed winger - probably the fastest player at the whole club – and is set to be fast-tracked towards the first team. He is current starring for Arsenal’s Under-18s, for whom he scored a brilliant solo goal in a 6-0 defeat of Spurs last month. Expect to hear more from him soon enough. 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Callum Hudson-Odoi, 17, Chelsea Another star of England’s Under-17 World Cup winners, who contributed two assists in the final, Hudson-Odoi is yet another high-calibre product of the Chelsea academy, where he has already shone in the FA Youth Cup. He combines pace and skill as an attacking midfielder with a dangerous ability to beat defenders at speed. Has only just turned 17 but Chelsea have just tied him to his first professional deal. Now he is impressing for the Under-23s, even in just his first year at that level. Likely to go on loan, and impress, but maybe next season rather than this one. Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 George Thomas, 20, Leicester City Whatever happens for the rest of his career Thomas will always be famous for his winning goal for Coventry City in the EFL Trophy final against Oxford United at Wembley back in April. But Thomas, still just 20, is set for a Premier League breakthrough next year. Leicester City signed Thomas for £500,000 this summer and since then he has been impressing for their Under-23s, whether in central midfield, out on the right or as a number 10. The initial plan was that he would be loaned out in January – with Sunderland, Hull City and Bristol City all keen – but he has done so well that now Claude Puel wants to integrate him into the first team. The new manager has already for Hamza Choudhury involved and Thomas is likely to be the next man in line. Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, 19, Fulham Proof that Iceland’s miraculous development of players in not slowing down, the teenager from Reykjavik joined the Fulham academy in the summer of 2015 and has been impressing ever since. An attacking midfielder who creates and scores goals, Thosteinsson has made himself perhaps the most important player in Peter Grant’s Under-23 side. A promotion into Slavisa Jokanovic’s first team surely awaits. Getty Images 10 young footballers to watch in 2018 Nathan Ferguson, 17, West Bromwich Albion Has only just turned 17 but Ferguson has already made his way onto the bench for West Bromwich Albion’s first team. A powerful centre-back who reads the game well and can play the ball out from the back, West Brom were quick to tie him to a professional deal as soon as they could to keep him at the club. Has raced through the academy teams so far and will be playing for the first team before long. WBA FC via Getty Images

But then things started to go wrong. Not long after his encouraging cameo Edwards badly injured his ankle, requiring surgery which would rule him out for much of the rest of the season. Upon making his return he he was kept waiting for his second appearance for the first-team, eventually deciding to move to Norwich in the January transfer window.

Pochettino — who usually prefers to keep his most talented young players at the club, safely under his wing — consented to the move, describing it as “a great opportunity for him to step up after spending maybe half his life in Tottenham’s academy.”

On the surface Edwards was equally enthusiastic, quickly outlining his ambition to “get involved as soon as I can.” And yet he would make just one appearance, coming on for the last six minutes of the club’s recent 2-0 loss to Fulham. A week and a half later and Norwich manager Daniel Farke confirmed the move had been cut short, commenting after last night’s draw with Sunderland that “personal reasons” were to blame.

Edwards failed to make an impression at Carrow Road (Getty)

Although he declined to elaborate further, Farke spoke at length about the 19-year-old at the end of January, when he not so subtly questioned the 19-year-old’s mentality. “There is no doubt that with the ball he is one of our best players,” he began, diplomatically. “But without it he has to grow up a bit. That was the reason he didn’t play for Tottenham. He needs to be more grown up in his attitude on the pitch and in his behaviour. We cannot carry him.”

Rather worryingly, this is not the first time questions over Edwards’ attitude have been raised.

“He has authority and behavioural problems,” Pochettino admitted at the beginning of this season, in his ghostwritten book A Brave New World. “There was a time when it would have been seen as impossible for him to play professionally, let alone make it in the Premier League. He has no shortage of talent, but there are gaps to be filled: he has to learn to score ugly, run more and be committed.”

His next appearance will likely be for Tottenham's developmental team (Getty)

In Edwards’ defence, this is the first time he has played his football at a club other than Tottenham since the age of eight. And, in hindsight, his move away should perhaps have been managed with greater care. Tottenham’s thinking in sending him to Norwich was obvious — the two clubs share a patient, possession based style of football — but with James Maddison excelling and several other midfield options, there arguably was never a position for him to make his own.

But at what point does it become concerning that such a prodigiously talented player tipped for stardom since he was a child still only has 21 minutes of first-team football under his belt, at the age of 19? After all, to revisit Pochettino’s comparison, Messi was a Barcelona regular with 70 appearances to his name by the time he turned 20.