Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alex Pritchard signs new four-year contract at White Hart Lane

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alex Pritchard has followed in the footsteps of Harry Kane and Ryan Mason in signing a new long-term deal with the club. Pritchard, 22, has penned a four-year deal at White Hart Lane, having been told by manager Mauricio Pochettino he will have a role to play in the first team this season following an impressive loan spell at Brentford last term.

Tottenham confirmed the deal via a brief statement on the club's official website. He becomes the latest Tottenham youth product to sign a long-term deal at the club, with Nabil Bentaleb also committing his future to the North London side in July.

Pritchard scored 12 goals and provided seven assists as he played a key role in helping Brentford reach the play-off stages of last season's Championship, earning a place in the division's team of the year.

Towards the end of the 2014-15 season, Pochettino made it clear the academy product will not leave the club on loan again, confirming during a Q&A session on Facebook in May that Pritchard will be part of the plans at White Hart Lane this season.

Like teammates Mason and Kane, Pritchard has cut his teeth at the lower levels of English football, spending time on loan at Peterborough United and Swindon Town prior to his spell at Brentford. Speaking to the Premier League's official website in July, he admitted he now feels he is deserving of a top flight opportunity.

"For me, I've played two years with Spurs' Under-21s and then had to go on loan to get my experience that way. Hopefully, now I can go and play in the Premier League.

"I feel like I've done my time in League One, done my time in the Championship and now it's time for me to get a chance at Premier League football."

An injury suffered during England's ill-fated Under-21 European Championship campaign ensured he missed virtually all of Tottenham's pre-season preparations, missing trips to the United States and Munich.

But the midfielder could be in contention to return against Leicester City on Saturday 22 August, having come through unscathed in an Under-21 match against Everton last week.