Being Harry Kane’s back-up striker at Tottenham is a thankless task.
You are unlikely to play very often and will be expected to deliver to sky-high standards when you do get an opportunity due to the quality of the player you are replacing.
When Tottenham signed Fernando Llorente in the summer of 2017, most of the fans thought the experienced Spaniard was a clever acquisition.
The former Athletic Bilbao and Juventus centre forward was coming off the back of 15 Premier League goals that effectively kept Swansea City in the top flight.
However, Llorente has struggled to make an impact at Tottenham, with only fleeting opportunities to play and some underwhelming performances.
Spurs have a long list of dud former strikers, with the likes of Sergei Rebrov, Helder Postiga and Roberto Soldado acrimonious for their failed stints in North London.
However, Llorente has never let his head drop and his important contributions this season mean he does not deserve to be spoken of in the same breath as the afore-mentioned failures.
The Tottenham fringe forward scored off the bench against Borussia Dortmund and netted the all-important goal to get us through against Manchester City in midweek.
Llorente’s attitude is excellent and it is clear to see he is respected by Mauricio Pochettino and the rest of the squad.
With Harry Kane likely to miss the rest of the season and Son Heung-min out of the Champions League first leg against Ajax, Llorente could still have a sizeable role to play in Spurs’ campaign.