‘I feel for him’ – Alan Hutton worried for injured Spurs man

Former Tottenham defender, Alan Hutton, has expressed his disappointment at the timing of Japhet Tanganga’s recent injury.

Tanganga is expected to be out for several weeks with a back stress fracture although the club are still said to be hopeful that the central defender will return to action before the end of the season (Telegraph).

The 21-year-old has been a revelation since breaking into the Tottenham team in January, having put in competent performances across the backline for Jose Mourinho’s side.

One would have expected him to play a big part following the restart given how heavily Tanganga was involved prior to the suspension of the league.

However, with the youngster ruled out with injury, it looks as if he will have to prove himself once again on his return to win his place back in the side.

Hutton is in no doubt that the Spurs academy graduate will be in Mourinho’s plans when he returns but expressed worry that it might take the youngster a while to come back, as was the case with Marcus Rashford who suffered a similar injury.

Speaking to Football Insider, the ex-Scotland international said: “It’s a real shame, this is the thing with injuries like that, you never know when it’s going to pop up and when it does it’s normally the wrong time.

“I feel for him, you look at Rashford, he was out for such a long time with the same thing so it’s going to be difficult for him.

“I think we’ve seen enough in him to know that he’s a quality player and definitely one for the future.

“He’s very young, plenty of time on his hands so it’s all about getting right, not rushing back, taking the time to sort it properly and I’m sure for the upcoming season he’ll be in Mourinho’s plans.’

Spurs Web Opinion

While Tanganga’s return date depends on the severity of his injury, I suspect a back stress fracture is likely to sideline him for the remainder of the campaign. Let’s hope he returns fully fit next season and demonstrates once again to Jose in pre-season that he is good enough to start for Spurs. If Tanganga continues performing to the level that he has since breaking into the first team, he may save us millions in the transfer market this summer.

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