Japhet Tanganga has revealed Antonio Conte wants him to play primarily in central defence and the Italian coach has been heavily advising him on how to carry out the role.
The 23-year-old has been in and around the Spurs first-team over the last handful of seasons but a series of injuries, coupled with inconsistency, have hindered his progression.
After starting last season in the side, a knee injury in February left him requiring surgery which brought his campaign to an abrupt end as he made just 11 appearances in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).
Tanganga has returned to pre-season training this summer and is now with the squad for the tour of South Korea, where he will be looking to force himself into Conte’s thinking.
The England youth international has previously been deployed in almost every position across the back line, meaning he has versatility on his side.
However, Tanganga has since revealed the former Inter Milan boss wants to make centre-back his main position and he has been giving him plenty of pep talks about it over pre-season.
He told Football.London: “He sees me as one of the centre-backs, either right or left. That’s the position he gives me the most information in and tells me what to do.
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“Of course, you saw against Norwich that I can play in the right wing-back role if needed. I think he sees me in those roles though, either side of the middle defender in the back three.”
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Since breaking through to the first-team a few seasons ago, Tanganga hasn’t really progressed too much and it is down to injuries and him not nailing down one position.
His versatility is almost becoming a hindrance to him and while being a utility can be good at times, it may be better to be a master of one role and Conte seems to have recognised that.
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