Column: Grace Clinton may fulfil her manager's prophecy sooner than imagined
After Tottenham Hotspur head coach Robert Vilahamn said Clinton would be England's future number 10, she's already made her way into Sarina Wiegman's thinking...
“In the future, she’s going to start as a 10 in the national team, I’m quite sure of that,” boldly claimed Tottenham Hotspur head coach Robert Vilahamn, referring to on-loan superstar Grace Clinton after the 20-year-old completed a third excellent performance of the new Barclays Women’s Super League season with a fine strike against Brighton.
After joining Manchester United last summer as the Reds beat off stiff competition for the then highly-rated Everton talent, Clinton went on loan in January to help Bristol City secure the Championship title and promotion, before being given a top tier loan this season, which is already paying off.
As if by magic, soon after Vilahamn’s prophecy, Clinton was given her first senior call-up to the England squad last week for the double-header against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.
The attacking midfielder, who describes herself as a “creative risk-taker”, didn’t appear in the first of two games on Friday night, and may not on Tuesday either as head coach Sarina Wiegman assesses Clinton’s strengths and weaknesses across the camp.
Vilahamn may not have imagined his prediction would come true potentially so soon, but Clinton has been on the England radar for some time, and perhaps is arriving at a time where despite stiff competition for said number 10 role, it doesn’t necessarily mean Clinton is that far down the reckoning.
Wiegman’s go-to starter in that position, Ella Toone, isn’t setting the world alight in a Lionesses shirt right now, having found the net just twice for her country across 2023. But if Toone needs a rest, Lauren James has shown she is also capable of playing the 10 role to good effect and is the most naturally talented footballer available to Wiegman right now.
On top of that, Fran Kirby has now returned and made a long-awaited England appearance on Friday night, so Clinton does have plenty of competition, but none who have for whatever reason given Wiegman reason to believe that spot is nailed down to any one individual right now.
There is zero need to rush Clinton, who is just 20 years old, finding her feet in the WSL and in her first senior camp, but Vilahamn has good reason to be confident in his assumption Clinton will go on to ascertain that status in the future.
Check out over 100 more unique stories in WFC’s Premium section, available for just £45 for 12 months, paid in one go, or a £6 a month rolling subscription.
All subscriptions come with a 7-day free trial to allow you to explore our full archive.
Plus, guarantee you everything that is to come over the next 12 months…
Clinton actually developed older than most. Despite being spotted by then Everton manager Andy Spence in a school tournament when she was just 10 and subsequently offered a trial, Clinton continued to play for her school and a local boys’ team, not joining the Toffees RTC [Regional Talent Centre] until she was 14.
Throughout her spell close to home on Merseyside, Clinton was a regular in the England youth teams and with age made her way through the various groups, becoming a common name in the under 23s team over the past couple of years.
She’s described as “technically unbelievable” by some who have worked with her, but also had identifiable weaknesses in her overall game which Wiegman will no doubt be watching closely to see if she can make the permanent step into the senior set up.
From those who know and have worked with her, the assertion is Clinton still has to learn the defensive side of the game and also the tactical side which comes with being a number 10, with some believing that isn’t yet at an “elite level”, but will come in time.
In a midfield role – the busiest area of the pitch – Clinton wants to “roam and move everywhere”, rather than track her marker off the ball, something her former manager Willie Kirk pointed out to BBC Sport last week when recalling a match against Manchester City.
"I remember, it was in my last game at Everton, and she scored a fantastic goal against Manchester City.
"It was a top, top goal and everyone was talking about it saying 'that's why she should be playing more'.
"But everyone forgot she didn't track back for [Caroline] Weir's goal which put us 1-0 down. She was righting her wrongs! Her move to Manchester United now has helped her understand what work at the highest level means and needs to look like."
At United, she was reunited with former Everton assistant Martin Ho who pushed hard to bring her to Leigh Sports Village, where she could be trained and monitored in an elite environment before the decision was made to send her to Bristol City for much-needed game time.
The defensive discipline is also a big reason as to why Vilahamn has been utilising Clinton as a left-winger so far this season, despite his undying belief she will become a number 10 in the future, where she has spent most of her career to date already.
"Sometimes when you're young and you want to be on the ball a lot, and you don't want to lose it in the risky moments, taking a step out to the left like she's doing now is a good thing.
"She can go into the space with the ball, instead of starting in the space, basically. Then she's also finding her way into those pockets and taking a shot.
"For me she will be a 10, but right now, she's doing a good job as a left winger, so she will probably end up in both positions."
England has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Clinton’s role on the pitch, but speak to anyone who has worked with her and they’ll tell you on the ball she is as good as any of them.
If she works on the other side of her game, it’s hard to see how Vilahamn’s own prediction won’t ring true in the future, potentially even the near future.