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Alasdair Gold

Big Troy Parrott praise, criticism for young striker and defender interest - Spurs loan latest

It might have been a tough few days for Tottenham Hotspur but some of their loan players have been enjoying success away from the club.

Tottenham have a whole host of players playing elsewhere on loan across England, Scotland and Europe following a number of temporary moves out of the club in January and back in the summer.

Some big names departed last month as Antonio Conte looked to move unhappy voices out of the dressing room, as Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil all departed with game time limited for them in the capital.

Alfie Whiteman was the latest to depart earlier this month after returning to Sweden to link up with Degerfors once again. The shot-stopper will play friendlies and enjoy a pre-season before this year's Allsvenskan campaign begins on April 9.

So how exactly did the rest of Spurs loanees get on over the past week? football.london takes a look.

Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon)

Ndombele has been impressing since returning to Lyon but he had a tough day at the office along with his team as they lost 1-0 at home to Lille on Sunday.

Get French Football News handed him just a four in their match player ratings, joint lowest on the Lyon side.

Ndombele had told Lyon's official website last week: "I'm not at 100% yet but I'm trying to give my best."

The Frenchman has now got four Ligue 1 appearance to his name, with his one assist, with three 90 minute stints after his initial 45 minute return.

He will be looking to show what a fully fit Ndombele can do with the rhythm provided by constant starts and less likelihood of coming off before the game is done.

Bryan Gil (Valencia)

Gil has spoken this week about the difficulties he was having in adapting to the Premier League at Tottenham.

"I came to Valencia to be able to fight to play matches like this," Gil explained to AS, via Sport Witness. "For me, winning a title at my age would be a dream and I knew that Valencia was in the fight to reach the final.

"At Tottenham I wasn’t playing the minutes that every player wants and here they told me that if I earned them, I would have them."

He added: "In the Premier League, training sessions are very physical, very hard, and it has helped me not to notice fatigue now," the Spaniard admitted.

"It is [physicality] very noticeable, really. It is a slightly higher level of intensity. I physically noticed it.

"The adaptation for me was difficult. It is a very physical football, back and forth. Being there has been good for me. I am more mature.

"I changed habits like eating, I had a chef at home and I gained two kilos. Even so, I noticed that it was not enough for the physical level that exists in the Premier League."

Gil has been earning rave reviews back in Spain and on Sunday he played 90 minutes once again as Valencia won 1-0 at Mallorca.

Giovani Lo Celso (Villarreal)

Lo Celso continues to play in a more advanced support striker role for Villarreal and played 63 minutes as they won 5-1 at Espanyol on Sunday.

Whoscored handed Lo Celso a 7.33 rating, with a pass success rate of 88.9 per cent with one key pass among them.

The Argentine had earned rave reviews for his performance in the 1-1 draw at home to Juventus in the Champions League in midweek, with highlights of his contributions during the game doing the rounds on social media.

Pape Matar Sarr (Metz)

Metz got his first 90 minutes under his belt since returning from Senegal's triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 19-year-old played in central midfield and helped the Ligue 1 strugglers battle to an important point at home to Nantes.

Sarr has one goal and one assist from his 22 games in all competitions for Metz this term, having played in a variety of positions, including as an attacking midfielder, a left winger, an anchor man and a box to box midfielder.

The teenager will be hoping to get plenty more minutes and development under his belt before joining up with Spurs next summer.

Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic)

Carter-Vickers helped Celtic earned a clean sheet even if it was a frustrating day for the Glasgow side as they were held 0-0 at Hibernian.

He earned a seven in the Scottish Daily Express' player ratings with the review: "Another strong performance and shows what Celtic missed in Norway but not really troubled by Hibs."

The 24-year-old had been rested for the Europa Conference League defeat to Bodo/Glimt.

Carter-Vickers' performances in Scotland have reportedly garnered attention from a string of Premier League clubs who could compete with Celtic for his signature next summer. The Scottish club have an option to buy the defender next summer if he decides to join them.

Troy Parrott has been in fine form for MK Dons (James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)

Troy Parrott (MK Dons)

Parrott continues to get plenty of praise for his performances at MK Dons in League One.

The MK Citizen voted him as the man of the match in the 2-0 win at Bolton, with an 8.5 in their ratings and the review: "Took hit after hit, but kept getting up and asking for more. Great on the ball, unselfish, made great runs, dropped deep and added a body defensively too. A sensational all-round game."

Parrott's goalscoring team-mate Scott Twine was full of praise for the 20-year-old Tottenham man.

“He's been quality in the last few weeks," he said. "He'll get his goal soon and I'm sure they'll start flying in. He's brilliant in training, so there's no surprise he performs like that on the pitch. He runs over every blade on the pitch, he's class."

MK Dons boss Liam Manning added: "[Troy] has progressively got better. He's desperate to score, but he puts the team first. He does that, and the goals will come.

"He needs to keep pushing himself, but the biggest thing is what he does for the team. His work-rate out of possession, his threats, his movement - he's in a good spot and we have to keep him there, keep pushing him and making sure he maintains his level."

Kion Etete (Cheltenham Town)

Etete made it two goals and three assists in five matches in League One for Cheltenham.

The 20-year-old grabbed a goal in the 2-1 defeat at home against Crewe Alexandra but drew some criticism from Cheltenham boss Michael Duff.

"He was frustrating today, Kion. He did some good things, but he was a bit loose," he told Gloucestershire Live.

"Too many things bounced off him and he got involved with the referee too much, rather than just getting on with the game. He’ll probably be happy because he scored a goal and that’s what centre forwards are like.

"There is definitely some combination between him and Alfie. Hopefully his ankle hasn’t reacted because it’s a niggling injury and hopefully he’ll be all right again for next week."

Etete's progression has been rapid this season and he will likely take Duff's comments on board as he continues to learn.

Jack Clarke (Sunderland)

Clarke came off the bench for the final 12 minutes as Sunderland won 3-0 at Wigan Athletic in League One.

The York-born 21-year-old has found himself on the bench recently but is getting game time which was the purpose of the move.

He has now played seven times for Sunderland, getting minutes in every match since his arrival in the January transfer window.

Nile John (Charlton Athletic)

John is still waiting to make his senior debut for Charlton following his January loan move from Tottenham.

The 18-year-old midfielder has been an unused substitute on the bench in three of the past four matches for the Addicks and will be hoping to make his bow in the weeks ahead.

Kacper Kurylowicz (Potters Bar Town)

The goalkeeper has headed out on loan to non-league side Potters Bar Town, who play in the Isthmian Premier League.

The 20-year-old was on the bench for both of Town's matches this week and will be hoping to get game time under his belt after making his debut soon after his arrival last month.

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