Tottenham Hotspur academy coach Ryan Mason is hopeful of taking his Spurs' Under-19s side deep into the UEFA Youth League, but insists sight of the main objective must not be lost.
The Champions League group stage draw is set to take place later today. It will determine not only the eight groups for the tournament, but also the groups for the UEFA Youth League.
Last term's Champions League runners-up Tottenham are placed in pot 2, whereas Premier League rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City are in pot 1.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to go one better this term, while former Tottenham midfielder Mason, who was forced into retirement following a serious head injury, is tasked with managing the London-based club's Under-19s side in the UEFA Youth League.
Mason, who returned to Tottenham as an academy coach in April 2018, wants to enjoy a good run in the UEFA Youth League, but has stressed that getting players into the first team is the bigger motive for him.
“Obviously we want to go far in the UEFA Youth League, we want to experience big games and experience big moments in games", Mason told Spurs TV.
"Many of these players haven’t played first team football yet so for them, it’s a massive opportunity to showcase their ability and compete against the best people around in their age group, so it’s something that everyone is looking forward to.
"There’s an emphasis on winning but at the same time, ‘winning’ for us in the Academy is to get players into first team football.
"We can’t lose sight of the bigger picture.”
A 2-0 defeat to FC Porto, who went on to become the champions, in the Round of 16, saw Tottenham's Under-19s side knocked out of the UEFA Youth League last season.
Tottenham, under the guidance of Mason, will be looking to improve this term.
