Tottenham starlet Onomah buoyed by World Cup success as he bids to emulate role model Dembele

Josh Onomah says he has a new self-belief after winning the Under-20 World Cup with England – and he is hoping to get more chances in central midfield at Tottenham as he attempts to emulate his role model Mousa Dembele.

The 20-year-old has struggled to get regular game time at Spurs after coming through the academy, only starting three matches last season.

Mauricio Pochettino has generally deployed him on the right side of an attacking midfield trio, but Onomah shone in a deeper, central role for the young Lions in South Korea, playing a key part as he and his team-mates became the first England side to win a World Cup at any age group since 1966.

He has since returned to Tottenham with a sense of pride, and is keen to now show what he can do at club level.

Asked if he has come back feeling more confident, Onomah said: “Yes I have, to be honest. I think the World Cup has helped with that.

“The experiences in South Korea have helped me to become a better player mentally and physically. I feel like it’s the fittest I’ve been on both fronts. I feel I’m ready for any challenges that come my way.

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“It was an amazing experience for me and my family – a speechless moment to win the World Cup because England haven’t done it for a long time. I’ve been back at training now and it’s been good. Now I’m looking forward to the season.”

While Onomah was able to lift the World Cup in the end, he had to overcome adversity after being bizarrely sent off in the quarter-final against Mexico, getting a second yellow card when he accidentally trod on an opponent’s ankle while in possession of the ball.

“When I first received the red card, I was speechless,” said Onomah, speaking after taking part in a Q&A with youngsters from the Special Olympics organisation in Orlando, USA.

“I didn’t know what to do. It was crazy. But I knew my team were going to get me into the final, and for them to beat Italy the way they did [in the semi-finals] was just amazing.

“I couldn’t wait to get back into the team. I’m thankful to the gaffer (Paul Simpson). He said after I got my red card that no matter what happened, I would play the last game. To get that [assurance] helped me get through it.

“It didn’t really sink in until I sat in the room indoors. By then, it was too late [to react]. I thought I handled the situation quite well at the time.

“I tried my best not to watch the video back because I would have got angry with myself. Not watching it helped me as well.”

Onomah’s impressive performances showed why he remained part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team squad last term, rather than being sent out on loan, and he feels he has probably gone up in the estimation of a lot of Spurs supporters.

“I was happy that I’ve done that,” he said. “When I’ve played in a Spurs shirt I haven’t really been at my best. To go away in the summer and show what I’m capable of is something I’m proud of, and I look forward to doing it in a Spurs shirt.”

While he has the utmost respect for Pochettino and has always been grateful for any playing opportunities, Onomah admits it has perhaps been harder for him to impress at Tottenham given that most of his game time has been in a wide position.

“I agree,” he said. “But with me, because I’m quite a versatile player and can do a number of things, as long as I’m on the pitch playing for Tottenham, I feel that’s the main thing.”

Asked if his international performances in central midfield may have sent a message to Pochettino and his club coaches, Onomah replied: “It could have done, but I’ll play anywhere.

“Since I was young, I’ve been playing that role [in central midfield]. But I hadn’t played it for a long time so for the England manager to trust me there gave me great confidence as well.

“It’s good to play there and hopefully I can play there, but whatever happens I’ll always give my best.
“The manager hasn’t said anything specific. He just said he watched [the tournament] and he was happy with my performances, so for him to say that gives me great confidence for the season.”

Onomah would not be the first midfielder to move from a wide position into the middle, and he said: “A great example of that is Mousa Dembele.

“Earlier in his career, he started out wide, but when he got older he started playing central and deeper. If he can do it, I believe that I can as well.
“Since I’ve been training with the first team from 14 or 15, he (Dembele) has always been a role model. He’s always spoken to me and I like the way he plays. I feel there are some similarities there.”

Some Spurs supporters made similar comparisons after watching Onomah’s powerful displays in South Korea – and his eyes lit up when he was told that such observations had circled on social media.
“That’s a great compliment because he’s an amazing player,” said the youngster. “He’s someone I look forward to playing with in the near future.

“To be fair when I was growing up and I was watching him – before he was at Spurs, when he was at Fulham – I liked the way he played. I thought we played similarly, and for other people to see that is just a great compliment.”

Another of Spurs’ academy prospects, Kyle Walker-Peters, also impressed during England’s Under-20 World Cup campaign.

And, after Kyle Walker’s £50million departure to Manchester City, Onomah has backed the young right-back to provide competition for Kieran Trippier if the club decide not to sign a new player in that position.

“I’ve played with Kyle since we were about 10 years old,” he said. “He started out as a right winger and recently he got moved to a right-back, probably when we were about 16.

“Since then he’s just gone up so quickly. Every day he improves and his mentality is world-class as well. I think with the first-team training that the gaffer’s giving us, anything’s possible.

“With less people being bought, it gives us more of an opportunity to play in the team. I think that’s helped a bit but mainly it’s down to us and how we apply ourselves in training.

“The manager’s said ‘the best players in training will play’ and for him to say that – that it doesn’t matter about age or anything – gives us great confidence as young academy players. We’ve seen the likes of Harry Kane, who’s gone all the way up, so it’s just down to us really.”

Asked if he has ever yearned for a loan move in the hope of playing more first-team football, Onomah admitted: “I have, but I trust the gaffer.

“He speaks to me. He gives me confidence when I’m low, when I’m down, and I believe in him. Whatever he thinks is the best for me, I’ll stand behind him.

“Harry Winks was in the same position last year. He was patient and now he’s just gone up, played well, taken his chance. I believe that can happen to anyone so you’ve just got to be patient.”

Winks certainly caught the eye during his breakthrough season last term – and Onomah feels his 21-year-old colleague could possibly sneak into England’s senior World Cup squad next summer if he can sustain his rapid progress.

“Anything’s possible,” he said. “Winksy’s always improving, he’s a great player and you shouldn’t write him off.”

It is all indicative of an encouraging scene for England’s young talents, who have enjoyed a hugely successful summer across the board.

In addition to the Under-20s’ achievement, an Under-19 squad including Spurs’ Marcus Edwards won the European Championship, while another group triumphed at the Toulon tournament. Meanwhile, the Under-21s narrowly lost on penalties in the semi-finals of their Euro competition.

“I think we’ve done very well this summer,” said Onomah. “I think that’s down to the England manager, Gareth Southgate.

“Before he was [senior] manager he did a lot of work with the younger age groups, about doing things differently and getting that winning mentality – and it’s gone through.

“Before he was England manager, when we won the Under-17 Euros, he worked a lot with us and helped us. He spoke to us, gave us his advice, and I think that’s helped us going through [the age groups] as well.”

Asked if there is a belief in the Under-20 squad that they can push on together and eventually become the national senior team, Onomah said: “Yes, definitely. I’ve been with that age group since Under-16s, and from young age groups we’ve been unified.

“We’ve always been a team, we’ve always wanted to achieve great things and to win the Euros in 2014 and then the World Cup this summer, it’s just amazing. Like I said, anything’s possible.”

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