Tottenham Hotspur 1- 0 MK Dons

Mateus Fernandes scored what he called “the best goal of his career” inside three minutes of his Tottenham debut in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday.

The £85m signing from West Ham struck a first-time volley into the top corner from range to decide the game as Roberto de Zerbi tested out his players in a 1-0 win over League One side MK Dons.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka also caught the eye with a sharp save from close range on his first appearance since joining on a free from Burnley in June.

Partnering Fernandes in a midfield double pivot was £100m signing Sandro Tonali, making his first run-out since joining from Newcastle.

Spurs’ fortunes have swung considerably upwards in recent weeks, from being embroiled in a Premier League relegation fight, to then surviving and then bringing in two record signings. That upward trajectory has come under an ambitious manager in De Zerbi too, the Italian brought in following Igor Tudor’s struggles last term.

And fans were eager to see signs of how Fernandes and Tonali, bought at a combined cost of £185m, might add further impetus to that progress.

An opening pre-season friendly against a side from two divisions lower is obviously not a true test, but there were still moments of quality to please Spurs fans.

And it is hard to imagine any side being able to do much about Fernandes’ stunning effort. The 22-year-old positioned himself perfectly to meet MK Dons goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray’s long punch clear from a corner to strike home first time into the top corner via the post from 20 yards.

“It was my favourite goal of my career. By a mile,” he said.

“I need to do this more and more times, to shoot outside of the box, I know that I can do it.

“This just gives me confidence for the rest of the days.”

Former Spurs defender Sebastian Bassong, working for the club’s media channels, was equally impressed, comparing the strike to Gareth Bale’s goal against Stoke City or Zinedine Zidane’s famous volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

“What I’m impressed about is the balance, the quality, the connection, the fact that he’s looking at the ball – he doesn’t lose sight of the ball,” Bassong said.

“He’s such a gifted player.”

Along with Tonali, Fernandes departed at half-time as De Zerbi rang the changes, but not before the pair had dominated the midfield, with Tonali decisive on the ball and also using his experience to instruct his new team-mates.

Dubravka also made his debut, coming on at the break for Antonin Kinsky in goal in an otherwise more youthful second-half side.

There was little for either of Spurs’ keepers to do, but Dubravka had to be alert to thwart an attack at the near post, reacting quickly to push a header from six yards over.

Tottenham fly to New Zealand on Thursday for their pre-season tour and will take on A-League side Auckland in a friendly at Eden Park on Sunday, with kick-off at 04:00 BST.