Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies has sung the praises of team-mate Davinson Sanchez, stating that the Colombian had an excellent first season in English football.
The no-nonsense centre-half moved to Spurs from Ajax last summer in a club-record deal and was impressive in how quick he adapted to English football.
Sanchez has gone on to sign a contract extension with Tottenham earlier this month and looks set to be a critical player in the club’s quest for silverware next term.
Davies has stated that the South American enforcer has added to the already miserly Spurs rearguard.
“Davinson has been different class and it’s easy to forget how young he is with the way he’s played,” the Tottenham left-back told the club’s official website.
“He’s made it look easy in his first season in the Premier League.
“People talk about how defenders need to be unbelievable ball players but as a defender you are there to stop the goals and defend the team, that’s the priority.
“There’s no messing around with Davinson. He makes his tackles, wins his headers and tries to keep a clean sheet. That’s what a defender should want.
“We’ve had to scrap, we’ve had to defend and as a defender, those are the games you love, when you’ve put your body on the line, you are winning headers, making blocks, that’s the bread and butter. Davinson has showed everyone how important it is to defend.
“He’s a pleasure to play alongside and he and Jan have complemented each other so well, driving each other on. As a defensive unit, I think we’ve done well again.”
Most Tottenham fans would echo Davies’ thoughts, with Sanchez an excellent addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s ranks.
However, with one defender talking up another and also bringing Jan Vertonghen into the equation for praise, Toby Alderweireld’s absence in the conversation is another worry for the Spurs fans.
The Belgium international is being consistently linked with a move away from Tottenham given his contract stand-off with the club and Davies’ comments are another indicator that the side is preparing for life without the influential central defender.
While Vertonghen and Sanchez have played well together, keeping Alderwiereld at the club also will be on every Spurs fan’s wishlist this summer – but it is looking unlikely to happen.