Aaron Lennon's Spurs career may be over - but the former teen star could be rejuvenated at Everton, writes Peter Smith...
"We thought he was going to be an absolute superstar," said Jamie Carragher, as he recalled training with Aaron Lennon at the 2006 World Cup.
Called up by the then England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson as a 19-year-old, just 12 months on from a £1m move from Leeds United to Tottenham, Lennon seemed set to become a Premier League icon.
However, the Sky Sports pundit’s comments come in a week which has seen Lennon move on loan to Everton after managing just three starts in the league for Spurs this season and failing to feature in any of their last 14 matches.
"He has not quite kicked on as well as many predicted. It has hasn’t quite happened for him," added Carragher.
In his near-10 year stay at Spurs there have, of course, been highs, and glimpses of the thrilling potential which had Leeds fans protesting at his sale in 2005.
Lennon, who has made 362 appearances for Spurs, was a key figure in the club’s 2008 League Cup winning side, was named as the supporters’ player of the year the following season, and was a regular under Harry Redknapp as Tottenham finished fourth in 2009/10 and 2011/12.
In Europe, too, Lennon has left his mark. Only Steve Perryman has more appearances against continental opposition for Spurs, while his searing run to tee up Peter Crouch for a famous win over AC Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League will live long in the memories of Tottenham fans.
It will therefore be fitting if his final outing in a Spurs shirt turns out to have been against Besiktas in the Europa League on December 11.
Lennon has often been criticised for his final ball but only Darren Anderton (67) has bettered his total of 45 assists for Spurs in the Premier League, while, in the past two seasons, he has recorded a better crossing accuracy and more successful crosses from open play than any other wide player at the club.
However, one goal and five assists in that time better reflects the winger’s receding role at White Hart Lane. That has become evident this season, with Mauricio Pochettino preferring Andros Townsend and Christian Eriksen cutting inside from wide positions to Lennon bombing around the outside of opposition full-backs towards the touchline.
Lennon is only 27, though, and talk of decline could be quickly halted with an impressive second half to the season on Merseyside.
Everton boss Roberto Martinez won plaudits last season for his side’s rampant pressing of the opposition and Lennon seems like a natural fit for the Spaniard’s tactical model. "What he does out of possession probably makes him the best defensive player we have got on the pitch. He is so diligent," said former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood last season.
"When you need to rely on someone, he’s on your team sheet. Until you’re in the job as a manager, you don’t appreciate Aaron Lennon."
Whether Lennon makes Martinez’s team sheet for the hotly anticipated Merseyside derby on Saturday Night Football remains to be seen, but Carragher - a man who knows just what it takes to be successful in these contests - reckons he could have a big influence.
"Aaron Lennon is not the type of player a full back will like to play against," he said. "People say there is a lack of a final ball or lack of goals in his game, but as a full-back, one v one, out wide, it is not easy.
"The system Liverpool play, there are spaces in the wide areas, and I am sure Roberto Martinez will be looking at that. He is a good signing."
The realms of superstardom may now be out of his reach, but - despite looking glum in the photos of him signing for Everton - there could still be happy times ahead for Lennon.
