Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino has dropped a major hint that Kevin Wimmer will be given the chance to establish himself in light of Jan Vertonghen‘s injury.
Spurs were dealt with a major blow earlier this week when it was revealed that Belgian centre-back Vertonghen will be out for several months after picking up a knee injury following an altercation with Crystal Palace’s Connor Wickham last weekend.
While Spurs ultimately picked up three points against their London rivals, the win came at a cost, with Vertonghen’s subsequent absence a major blow to their title aspirations.
While Tottenham may yet dip into the transfer market in order to find a replacement for the Belgian—with both Joel Matip and Nicolas Nkoulou tipped for a move to White Hart Lane—Pochettino has hinted that Austrian defender Wimmer will be given his chance to impress.
According to the Mirror, the Austria international will be given the chance to impress in the FA Cup against Colchester on Saturday.
Pochettino has urged the summer recruit to make the most of his opportunity.
“He is like Vertonghen – but younger!” the Argentine coach began.
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“You can see that he is very calm, has a very good left foot, is very strong and is a very nice person. He has a lot of attributes.
“That’s why we signed him and maybe now he will have more possibilities to play. This is a good example of when we rotate and give chances to other players.
“You never know when something wrong can happen and we are sure Kevin can do well.
“He has had the possibility to play in different games, but not as much as maybe he expected here. But he was good. He showed the quality and his team-mates trust him.
“It is important because you never know when a problem will arrive and, maybe the player who does not play too much, will be a key player to achieve big things.”