Tottenham starlet puts Portsmouth disappointment behind him in World Cup opener

The 19-year-old netted his first strike for more than three months on Monday evening as he helped England to a winning start at the Under-20’s World Cup.

The striker headed home the only goal of the game in the 25th minute as Ian Foster’s Young Lions edged Tunisia 1-0 in the opening Group E contest.

Indeed, Scarlett’s effort represented his second goal since the turn of the year - having managed to appear just once on the scoresheet for Pompey in 2023.

In fact, the youngster’s most recent strike came in February when he scored a late winner in the Blues’ 1-0 triumph against Burton.

It would be the striker’s sixth and final goal for the Fratton Park outfit during his season-long loan from Spurs.

Scarlett’s time on the south coast came to a close at the start of the month - bringing an end to a disappointing second half of the campaign with Pompey.

The England youth international would appear just three times in the Blues’ final eight games of the term, with John Mousinho favouring other options in attack.

After coming through the ranks with the North London outfit, his move to Fratton represented his maiden move away as he looked to further his development.

And despite his struggles with the Blues, Spurs interim boss Ryan Mason insisted prior to his Under-20 World Cup involvement that Scarlett was in a better position following his stay at PO4.

Speaking to The Press Association, he said: ‘I have seen Dane in the last week or so since he came back and he looks different from a physical point of view.

‘You can feel that he has played men’s football so from that point of view I am sure he is in a better place than he was 12 months ago.

‘But at the same time going into an Under-20 World Cup, it is a great opportunity for him and probably a different style and different type of football he will come up against.

‘I am sure he will go into that challenge full of confidence.’