Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele earned his first start since returning from injury this evening, as the Lilywhites took on Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The Frenchman started the match in a lone defensive linchpin role, not somewhere we are accustomed to seeing him play for Spurs.
Ndombele was asked to do the defensive work of two players, which often restricted his ability to carry the ball forward.
However, in the second half, as Eriksen dropped in next to him and Spurs switched to a back four, Ndombele came alive.
While Eriksen pulled the strings with his passing, Ndombele controlled the game with his drives, constantly beating Norwich City defenders again and again.
It was like watching Mousa Dembele in his prime, breaking through the lines before popping the ball off to the attacking players.
It appears that Jose Mourinho, a man who hasn’t used the club’s record signing too much since taking over, was blown away by Ndombele’s performance.
Alasdair Gold reports that Mourinho claimed the Frenchman was ‘absolutely phenomenal’ tonight.
Good to see Mourinho saying Tanguy Ndombele was "absolutely phenomenal" today after this week's events. Important for the birthday boy to get 97 minutes in his legs & he got better as the game wore on. Spurs need his progressive play from midfield with better displays around him.
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) December 28, 2019