Amid their issues at centre-back this season, Ange Postecoglou seemingly resisted any temptation to try and recall Ashley Phillips to Tottenham Hotspur in January.

Phillips has made 28 appearances for Stoke City on loan from Tottenham so far this season, another crucial period for his development.

The young centre-back was one of the first players to arrive in the new Postecoglou era back in 2023, and he’s now enjoying his second loan spell away from the club.

On the whole, it seems as if Phillips has had a very promising season for Stoke to date, often being paired with experienced head Michael Rose.

However, Stoke have endured a tough run of results of late which has seen them slip back into the relegation fight – Mark Robins’ side are now only five points ahead of 22nd placed Luton Town.

And whilst it’s understandable that Stoke’s back line has struggled in a run of three games without a win, Phillips in particular has been criticised.

Ashley Phillips enduring difficult run despite promising season for Stoke

As said, this season is another learning curve for the youngster who evidently has a ton of potential, a player who should thrive for Tottenham one day at the top level.

However, in review of his recent display against Watford in a 0-0 draw on Saturday, Phillips was said to be ‘panicking’ under pressure.

That’s according to the Stoke Sentinel who gave Phillips a 6/10 for his efforts.

They wrote: “Got lucky twice after panicking when he had to deal with long straight balls which can undo the other 89-odd minutes.”

And whilst Stoke were able to muster a draw against Watford, they fell to defeat in their previous two matches against Norwich City and then Middlesborough.

Against Norwich, Phillips was given a 5.5/10 rating, saying he failed to take charge for two of the goals Stoke conceded.

And then against Middesbrough, when all of Stoke’s players were rated very lowly, Phillips was handed a 3/10 and accused of ‘ball watching’ by the same outlet.

Ashley Phillips will be ready for Tottenham next season

Of course, there’s no need to be too doom and gloom at all – Phillips is having a strong season as mentioned.

However, there’s clearly still progress to be made for the 19-year-old, who will only improve as a result of these tough experiences.

In total, Phillips has now played 50 games in the Championship which is incredibly encouraging for a defender of his age, a player who Postecoglou seemingly has a lot of faith in.

Tim Sherwood called for Phillips to be recalled amid all the recent injuries in N17, but Spurs should benefit from allowing the youngster to continue to make progress at Stoke.

Stoke’s previous manager complemented Phillips a lot, and it speaks volumes that the youngster has remained in the team despite a managerial change mid-season.

Phillips perhaps hasn’t been at his best of late, but there’s still plenty more to come from the centre-back, who has rarely ever been dropped in his career to date.

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