Tottenham Hotspur have always had a versatile defender in Jan Vertonghen, ever since he first signed for the club from Ajax.
In his early days, he was a fan of marauding forward and joining Bale in attacks, even chipping in with quite a few goals himself, the brace against Liverpool coming to mind.
However, in recent years Vertonghen has matured and left the attacking to the likes of Kane, Alli and Son, instead becoming one of the most consistent central defenders in the Premier League.
A natural left-footed left-sided defender, Vertonghen is invaluable to the balance of the Spurs back line, and can even cover in left-back, as he has done for Belgium so often.
However, Spurs found yet another position for him last week, as Jan lined up as a left wing back against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Ex-Spurs man Ryan Mason has now revealed why he believes Jan Vertonghen is so unique.
Mason said on talkSPORT (as reported by HITC): “Jan for me is one of the best defenders in the Premier League at stepping out and taking risks and being brave. A lot of defenders when they see the danger, their first thought is run back towards your own goal.
“Whereas Jan is one of the very few that goes to the ball and presses and doesn’t allow them [the attacker] to turn. I think that’s why he has the ability to play as a wing-back.”
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