Where Are They Now?

An Academy graduate who went on to represent England, full-back LUKE YOUNG made 76 first team appearances in three years as a professional with us. We recently caught up with our former defender to discuss his time at the Club and find out what he is up to now.

- Liam Carson

A versatile operator across the back-line, Luke Young was a talented defender who came through our youth system before going on to represent England on seven occasions. Now retired and living on the Balearic Island of Ibiza, the former full-back is these days showing his adaptability in consultancy as he mentors the next crop of young talent looking to make their way in the professional game.

Born in Essex in the late 1970s, Luke grew up with Spurs in his heart. An avid supporter of the Club from an early age, in the early 90s he was cheering on the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker from the stands at White Hart Lane and, if he couldn’t be there, he would be pretending to be them whenever he had a kick-about in his garden. And, having followed his older brother Neil through our Academy, by the end of the decade, he was making his first-team debut for us.

Luke was a right-back by trade but, with fellow Academy graduate Stephen Carr's first choice for the right-sided berth, he had to show flexibility if he was going to get opportunities in a Spurs shirt. On his debut for the Club, he did just that, slotting in at center-back after a spate of injuries had hit the heart of our backline – and that versatility saw him kick on in our colours. In total, he made 76 appearances for us, including two in our 1999 League Cup campaign, picking up a winner’s medal in the process, while he also played in our run to the FA Cup semi-finals the same year.