Oliver Skipp will always be grateful to Norwich City for the part they played in his development.

The Tottenham midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Carrow Road, admits the Canaries improved him “as a player and a person”.

Skipp, who is hoping to be fit for Spurs’ Premier League clash with Crystal Palace despite a groin strain, has played a central role to the Londoners’ excellent start to the season.

“I’m not getting too carried away,” he said. “I feel there is still a lot of improvement that needs to come and will come with training in this environment every day.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the year I had at Norwich, how much they improved me as a player and a person, on and off the pitch, I’m really grateful for that year and feel I’ve come back a better player for that experience.”

Skipp has won plaudits for his displays so far this campaign alongside Denmark international Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with Spurs currently topping the table with three wins from three.

His form won’t have come as any surprise to Norwich fans, who know all about his ability to patrol the midfield area from the part he played in City’s Championship win.

Norwich had wanted to take the 20-year-old on loan again this season but once it became clear Skipp was a big part of new manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans, the Canaries looked elsewhere.

Skipp had always made it clear that he wanted to see where he stood at Tottenham before taking any decision and he admits it’s a dream for him, as a Spurs supporter, to get his opportunity.

“It’s hard to put it into words, really,” said Skipp. “As a Spurs fan, I’ve been to the games, watched players in my position, tried to learn from them, to then be out there wearing that shirt means a lot, to my family, to me.

“I remember walking out of the tunnel against Manchester City and that was one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced. I remember thinking, ‘wow, this is what it means to everyone’ and what it means to me as well, growing up, you think of all those hours spent at the training ground trying to achieve that dream that, when you’re young, you think, ‘it’s never going to happen’, but I’ve managed to achieve that dream, so it means a lot.

“I’ve spoken to Japhet (Tanganga) about it as well, we’ve played together a lot over the years, since the age of 10, 11, and seeing him play as he did against Manchester City was amazing.”