Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Marcus Edwards 'signs first professional deal'

Highly-rated midfielder Marcus Edwards has reportedly signed his first professional contract at Tottenham Hotspur. The 17-year-old, who is considered to be among the brightest prospects in the country, has penned a two-year deal with Spurs after lengthy negotiations.

The North London club first offered the youngster fresh terms when he turned 17 in December. It has, however, taken months of wrangling over the contract to come to an agreement, with Spurs apparently fearful of losing Edwards to a rival Premier League club.

Edwards has been at Tottenham since the age of eight and has already trained with the first-team squad throughout pre-season, which underlined his status as a potential star of the future. He featured as a second-half substitute in Tottenham's friendly defeats by Juventus and Atletico Madrid, and appears likely to feature for the first team this season, according to The Guardian.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has had success working with young players during his tenures at Southampton and with Tottenham. With Edwards penning a contract with the club, the teenager appears on the cusp of making a first-team breakthrough this season.