What's happened to Marcus Edwards since Pochettino dubbed him the 'next Messi'?

'The qualities - it's only looks, his body and the way that he plays - remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi. Now it's how he builds his future, that's very important. And it's our responsibility to tell him.'

Those are the words of Mauricio Pochettino on Marcus Edwards, prior to the youngster's Spurs debut in 2016. That the England youth international's next game is scheduled to take place at the Emirates in European competition would signal, on the face of it, that the 20-year-old's development is going swimmingly.

And yet question marks remain over the former Spurs player's progression since Pochettino famously made those comments before the his dazzling debut against Gillingham. Edwards now plies his trade in Portugal with Vitoria Guimaraes, having joined the Liga NOS side in September of this year.

Sportsmail takes a look at the journey of Edwards, as Arsenal prepare to host their arch-rival's top prodigy in Thursday's Europa League clash at the Emirates.

First team breakthrough… and those famous Pochettino words

In 2016 the name 'Marcus Edwards' would bring about a growing sense of excitement and anticipation among staff and players at the Enfield Training Centre.

Edwards, who had been at the club since the age of six, was on the precipice of a first-team Tottenham debut, and that excitement had spilled over into the press, who were quick to question Mauricio Pochettino on the youngster in the build-up to the north London side's League Cup tie with Gillingham.

The Argentine fawned over the talents of the 17-year-old, making comments that would, to this present day, be the millstone that weighs heavy on the Englishman.

'The qualities - it's only looks, his body and the way that he plays - remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi,' Pochettino said. 'He's small, he's left-footed, I remember a little bit (Erik) Lamela when he was at River Plate, remember he had long hair, when he was 14, 15 years old.

'He (Edwards) is a very good prospect and potentially he can be a top player, but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player. But now it's how he builds his future, that's very important. And it's our responsibility to tell him.'

Pochettino handed Edwards his first-team debut the following night, and the youngster dazzled Spurs fans with a wonderful 10-minute cameo, which saw the winger crash a shot off the crossbar as well as display his much-talked about dribbling skills to those at White Hart Lane.

That bright debut would prove to be a false dawn, however, in which the youngster has never fully recovered.

Behavioural problems and a Norwich nightmare

But it wasn't all self-inflicted. Just at the point where Pochettino was looking to blood the teenager into the first team set up, injury struck Marcus Edwards. An ankle injury and a tonsil operation kept the youngster out of the first-team fold, and he would return to the youth squads shortly after.

The teenager flourished with the Under 23s, while performances with the Under 19s in the UEFA Youth League earned Edwards a nomination for the Golden Boy award, the game's most illustrious award for young stars.

Despite the on-field performances and personal accolades, things off the pitch were rocky to say the least.

Having developed a reputation for being selfish with the ball, staff would watch on in shock on the rare occasions Edwards passed to team-mates, while comments from Pochettino in his autobiography suggested that the Englishman's attitude was at question.

'Sometimes I wonder whether it was wise to liken him to Messi,' he wrote. 'They're from different families, backgrounds and cultures. One of them thinks like an Argentinian and the other like an Englishman. Marcus is still in the process of adapting to the rigours of being a professional, which require you to act and think differently, be disciplined and make sacrifices. He has authority and behavioural problems, and we have to look at the bigger picture to find out the root cause.'

In an interview with the Independent in June, Edwards conceded that his attitude was a problem. He said: 'I know I was a bit difficult when I was going through the academy.'

In the hope that regular first-team football would benefit Edwards, Spurs sent the talented winger out on loan to Norwich City.

However, that temporary spell was cut short with Edwards playing only six minutes for the Canaries.

The player's attitude was cited as a major issue during his time in Norfolk and Edwards would regularly be disciplined for turning up late to training. Norwich boss Daniel Farke gave a damning verdict on Edwards' time with the club.

'They (Spurs) have a good squad but he is still one of the best there with the ball. He has to be more grown up in his attitude,' he said.

A fresh start on the continent

Two seasons on from that debut against Gillingham, Edwards sought pastures new on the continent. With the road into Spurs' first-team looking increasingly insurmountable, the youngster was sent out on loan to SBV Excelsior.

Moving to another country would be viewed as an acid test for the youngster's character in adapting to new environments. Edwards spent the early portion of his loan with the youth squad before being given a chance with the first team.

In terms of playing time, this was by far his most successful stint in professional football. Edwards played 28 games for the Rotterdam side, scoring twice and laying on four assists for his team-mates.

Edwards' positive spell in Rotterdam, as well as the success of fellow England youth players Jadon Sancho and Adama Lookman, were likely to have been inspirations behind his surprise move to Portugal this summer.

A move to Udinese failed to materialise before Vitoria Guimaraes swooped in.

The 20-year-old hasn't quite hit the ground running, though, having made only three appearances for his new club to date.

He has, however, featured in Vitoria's last two games, coming off the bench in their league win over Pacos Ferreira before starting in the Europa League defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt.

So, then, a return to north London awaits for young Marcus Edwards. Three years on from that praise from Mauricio Pochettino, will we finally see his potential realised at the Emirates Stadium?