Credit: Imago
Wed 29 April 2026 18:10, UK
Mason Melia has been trusted with training with Tottenham Hotspur‘s first team amid their injury woes in the Premier League.
Tottenham finally ended their barren run of 15 Premier League games without a win when they squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday.
However, it may have been a pyrrhic victory as they lost Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke to injury, as Roberto De Zerbi‘s list of options grows thin.
The Italian has been known to trust academy players and other youngsters in past managerial roles, particularly at Brighton between 2022 and 2024.
Now, he may call upon Tottenham’s youth ahead of their trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, with 18-year-old Melia being involved in the first-team setup again.
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Mason Melia gets chance to shine
The Republic of Ireland youngster joined Tottenham in January from Irish side St Patrick’s Athletic, but he is yet to make his senior debut.
After arriving for a record transfer for the League of Ireland, at £1.6million, his progress was waylaid by a back injury, which has limited him to just a handful of appearances for Spurs’ under-21s.
Mason Melia’s young careerTottenham Hotspur U21Four games, one goalSt Patrick’s98 games, 25 goals, eight assists
Melia, who has also struggled with a chest infection, scored within three minutes of coming off the bench for Tottenham against West Ham on his Premier League 2 debut.
The teenager is said to be considered one of Ireland’s most promising up-and-comers, with Tottenham tying him down to a deal until 2031 despite interest from sides in the Premier League and across Europe.
After training with De Zerbi’s first team earlier in April, Football London’s Alasdair Gold says Melia is being put through his paces alongside the club’s biggest stars.
Mason Melia has been training with Spurs’ first team this week. Also some updates on other young players I’ve been asked about like Luca Williams-Barnett. https://t.co/qSf7ym2S8o
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) April 29, 2026
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He adds that Melia has taken part in training due to Tottenham being low on attacking numbers, with the likes of him, James Wilson, and Luca Williams-Barnett hoping to be involved in the matchday squad for Villa.
Bad news keeps coming for Tottenham
Since De Zerbi’s arrival, Tottenham have lost captain Cristian Romero and winger Mohammed Kudus for the rest of the season due to injury.
The Italian is without the likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie and more as Tottenham try and save their season.
They still sit in 18th in the Premier League, two points adrift of West Ham with four games to go. Now to have lost Simons and Solanke as well will be very hard to take for De Zerbi.
Staying up is a hard enough challenge without having nearly 10 players out injured. Spurs face a mountain to climb to survive as they aim to stave off relegation for the first time since 1977.
It says it all that Melia could be an option off the bench, but it also gives him the chance to become a hero overnight in North London.
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