Tom Carroll Reminded Tottenham Hotspur of His Worth on Malaysia Trip

Since Tom Carroll's last competitive appearance for Tottenham Hotspur, he has watched on as two of his midfield peers have taken opportunities that might have been his in different circumstances.

After appearing in Tottenham's August 2013 Europa League wins over Dinamo Tbilisi, he was loaned to then-Championship side Queens Park Rangers. When academy boss Tim Sherwood replaced Andre Villas-Boas as head coach four months later, Nabil Bentaleb was called up in his absence. This past season, Ryan Mason got the nod from Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino while Carroll was lent to Swansea City.

Tottenham's summer of spending in 2013 (including on midfielders Etienne Capoue and Paulinho) led to him being moved out the way despite his promising performances the previous season. Off the back of an eye-catching outing in Spurs' post-season friendly in Malaysia this week, Carroll will hope the present, more youth-friendly regime is open to being convinced.

You cannot read too much into anything that occurs in a fixture whose primary purpose is commercial. With all due respect to a Malaysia XI who produced a spirited first-half showing, they did not give Spurs much to think about. Nonetheless, for Carroll, Wednesday's 2-1 win was an important one.

After ankle ligament problems cut his time with Swansea short, the 23-year-old needed to show England under-21 boss Gareth Southgate he is fit to participate in this summer's European Championships. It's a tournament he will not want to miss, both out of competitive pride and because of the chance to prove himself against solid opposition in a pressurised environment.

In the process, Carroll was also able to remind Pochettino that he might yet be of some use to him.

Initially seeing more of the ball in a deeper position, the midfielder began occupying a more advanced role as Spurs got a foothold in the game. Carroll's previous playing time for the north London club (again, mostly during 2012-13 in competitive action) largely came in central midfield, so it was intriguing to see him more involved in and around the final third.

The time and space he was often allowed were in keeping with the standard of opposition and the low-key occasion. But the choices he made in these moments, particularly as the first half wore on, demonstrated the succinctness and imagination he is capable of with his passing.

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Spurs' second goal was the best example of this. Two give-and-go exchanges with Harry Winks and Andros Townsend—the latter a sublime flick with the outside of his boot around the corner—set Carroll up to play a third pass into Harry Kane's path, which the striker tucked away for his second.

Indeed, Carroll's combinations with his fellow academy products dominated his best work. It's a product of their time spent together over the years—or in the case of his collaborations with 19-year-old Winks, sharing much of the same footballing DNA. Carroll was also involved in Spurs' first goal when he saw his shot deflected into Kane's path after being teed up by Christian Eriksen.

"It’s good to get back involved with the lads and I’m happy to play a part in both the goals by grabbing a couple of assists," a pleased Carroll said, per the club's official website. "To be fair, it was a tough game, though. My mouth was completely dry after about five minutes because of the warm conditions, but we adapted pretty well."

Carroll will likely get more minutes in Saturday's match with Sydney FC. It is a chance for him to show how he can contribute to Pochettino's Tottenham after a season in which their attacking and creative low-points might have been helped by someone whose primary function is to keep play moving in a timely and purposeful fashion.

Then again, there is a chance Pochettino has already made up his mind about selling the England under-21 international.

In addition to Bentaleb and Mason, he also has Capoue, Mousa Dembele, Paulinho and Benjamin Stambouli to choose from in central midfield (though at least a couple of the latter bit-part players are almost certainly set to be moved on). Playmaker Eriksen could yet come to be deployed in a more central role too.

With Dele Alli due to arrive this summer, not to mention Winks and Josh Onomah impressing in Malaysia, Pochettino might prefer to develop this younger crop of midfielders and get a fee for Carroll while he can (his contract expires next year).

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His time at Swansea was not a rip-roaring success, but he did well enough that Garry Monk might be inclined to add him on a permanent basis. The following summary of Carroll's prematurely ended campaign by Wales Online's Steve Tucker is the kind of testimony that might tempt others too.

"The great attribute of Carroll is his willingness and his work rate," wrote Tucker. "Not with the most natural skills, he more than makes up for that by a desire for the ball and a sharpness to know what to do with it."

All that was on show against the Malaysia All-Stars too.

Tottenham just might be the place where Carroll shines. The club has spent years developing him, after all.

At the very least, Pochettino has reasons to keep his mind open as he evaluates his squad heading into the summer.

Follow @Thomas__Cooper.