Tottenham’s decision to sell Will Lankshear in the summer is appearing to be an increasingly poor one with each passing week, as the striker continues banging in goals for Middlesbrough.

Many Tottenham fans have been left rueing the club’s decision to sell Lankshear, as he continues banging in goals for fun at the Riverside Stadium.

The centre-forward already has 13 goals in the Championship and 15 across all competitions this term, which are the kind of numbers he was producing at U21 level consistently for Spurs.

What makes the Lilywhites’ decision seem particularly poor is the fact that Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush have just two league goals between them this term.

A striker who can put the ball into the back of the net consistently is arguably the one big missing piece for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, and it is hard not to wonder if they already had that piece and let him go.

While the centre-forward is continuing to show that he has a goalscoring instinct that one cannot teach, his manager has also spoken glowingly about the youngster’s attitude

Boro boss Kim Hellberg has revealed that Lankshear is not only level-headed and humble but is also constantly looking to add new facets to his game and get better.

The Swedish coach said about the Tottenham academy graduate (via George Sessions): “I think he’s exactly the same boy who came through the doors some months ago. There’s always a smile on his face – except when he misses chances, even in training.”

Journalist George Sessions even questioned whether an England call-up could be around the corner for Lankshear.

In a separate interview with BBC, Hellberg added about Lankshear: “Will is fantastic. He does everything every day. You can see the improvements through the season.

“When he arrived, he was unbelievable in the 18-yard box, and then he added on qualities in his defensive game that we worked with and pushed him to do, which he has done brilliantly and I am so happy with him getting a goal [against Charlton] from pressing high. He’s a brilliant lad.”

Harry Kane’s delayed development shows Spurs should have persisted with Lankshear

Lankshear is significantly older than the likes of Mikey Moore and Luca Williams-Barnett, and it is possible Spurs felt the 21-year-old simply was not good enough for Premier League football at this stage.

The Tottenham decision-makers could still be proven right, as we have seen time and again that strikers who are prolific in the Championship sometimes fail to deliver the goods in the Premier League.

However, Hellberg’s revelation about Lankshear’s attitude and his determination to get better is significant, as it means that the youngster could evolve into a top striker.

It is worth remembering that hardly a single Spurs fan rated Harry Kane when he was 21, and he has now gone on to become the best player in the world.