Roberto De Zerbi has made it clear that Tottenham’s young players like Luca Williams-Barnett will be given opportunities this summer, but only those who prove themselves will force their way into his plans.De Zerbi’s side began their 2026 pre-season campaign with a 1-0 victory over MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hotspur Way earlier this week.An outstanding strike from £85m summer signing Mateus Fernandes inside five minutes proved to be the winning goal, but another player who caught plenty of attention was 17-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett.The academy playmaker was part of the XI that featured in the goalless second half and ended the match having created more chances than anyone else on the pitch (3), while also completing the most dribbles (2).Williams-Barnett is one of the 35 players who have travelled with Tottenham for their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, where he will hope to earn more minutes, starting with Sunday’s clash against Auckland FC.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramRoberto De Zerbi explains what Tottenham’s youngsters must doWilliams-Barnett is not the only academy player hoping to impress over the coming weeks, as 13 other academy players have also travelled on the tour, with several of them already having featured against MK Dons.For a number of those youngsters, these friendlies could play a major role in shaping their immediate futures, with De Zerbi still deciding which players are ready to be part of his first-team plans.Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s match, De Zerbi was asked: “Young players and fringe players have made an impression already. Luca Williams-Barnett got a lot of attention after his performance the other day. Are you excited with the players that you’re seeing?”The Tottenham head coach replied: “Yes, I’m used to working with young players. In my career, I gave big time and big space for the young players, but they have to show me they are able to play and they are good players. “I never started from the age of the players. For the qualities, yes. For the attitude, yes. For the behaviour, yes, but not ages.”De Zerbi now has the chance to answer Tottenham’s academy concernsDe Zerbi arrives in North London with a strong reputation for developing young players, but there is also pressure to prove that Tottenham’s academy pathway remains alive after a summer that has seen several highly rated prospects leave the club permanently.Luka Vuskovic, Tynan Thompson, Alfie Devine and Will Lankshear have all moved on, prompting fresh questions over the opportunities available for academy graduates at Hotspur Way.Journalist George Sessions recently revealed there is growing concern within Tottenham’s academy over the pathway into the first team. And those worries are shared not only by the club’s young players and their parents, but also by academy coaches, with many finding it difficult to see where minutes will come from given the strength of the senior squad in each position.That makes De Zerbi’s comments all the more interesting given the Italian has built a reputation throughout his managerial career for developing young talents such as Manuel Locatelli, Carlos Baleba and Jack Hinshelwood.With Tottenham’s board backing him heavily in the transfer market this summer, it will be interesting to see whether he can also create a genuine pathway for the club’s next generation.READ MORE: ‘No excuse’ – De Zerbi sends message to Tottenham youngsters ahead of Auckland FCThe post Luca Williams-Barnett will love what De Zerbi just said about getting Tottenham chances appeared first on Spurs Web.