Roberto De Zerbi has described Luca Williams-Barnett’s situation as “very complicated” but said he is thinking about including the Tottenham youngster in a Premier League squad.

Williams-Barnett is considered one of the brightest prospects to come out of Spurs’ academy in recent years and was the only youth player pictured in the club’s first-team squad photo at the start of the month.

The England youth international starred for the Under-19s over the international break, scoring against Norway and the United States.

Williams-Barnett, who De Zerbi believes can play as a No10 and a winger, is hot property right now and has drawn interest from clubs across Europe. Spurs, though, are determined to tie him down and have reportedly opened contract talks with the young attacker.

With so much clamour around the forward, his continued exclusion from Spurs’ first-team matchday squads has been surprising, but De Zerbi insists the club must be careful with the 18-year-old's development.

“I'm thinking,” the Italian said. “I'm thinking because he's another special player. But he's very young, and the management of the very, very young players is very complicated.”

“Because sometimes you want to be the good of the players, of you. But you are not doing the good of the player. But I think he arrived [at] the moment when Luca would play because he's special.”

De Zerbi is a big fan of Williams-Barnett’s personality, confident in his abilities without being cocksure. He believes he has the making of a top-level player and has hinted that his time will come to make his top-flight debut.

“Special talent,” the Spurs head coach continued. “Special personality also. Because he's arrogant, but arrogant good for football. Because you have to believe in yourself. Not forgetting to be humble.

“Anyway, humility, but believe in yourself, and the right example is Luca.”