Roberto Martinez has an interesting take on Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld’s underwhelming campaign

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The Tottenham Hotspur defender experienced a challenging campaign last season.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez addressed the media yesterday, ahead of his side’s World Cup Group G clash with Panama today, and shared his delight at Toby Alderweireld’s current physical condition, despite barely featuring for Tottenham during the second half of last season, as quoted by the Evening Standard.

The 29-year-old made just 14 Premier League appearances for Spurs last season, with a combination of injuries and Davinson Sanchez’s rise to prominence restricting his path to regular first-team football for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Alderweireld’s future with Tottenham is uncertain to say the least, with Jose Mourinho thought to be desperate to bring the Belgium international to Manchester United for around £50 million this summer, according to the Sun.

It remains unclear as to whether Spurs will be willing to part ways with the centre-back, but it is hard to envisage a scenario where Daniel Levy would turn down a £50 million offer, especially considering the fact that he has a £25 million release clause inserted into his contract that will be activated next summer.

Martinez spoke highly of Alderweireld when speaking to reporters yesterday, and suggested that his lack of competitive games last season will prove to be a major bonus for Belgium at the World Cup this summer, as quoted by the Evening Standard:

“Toby is refreshed. Not playing a lot of minutes can be detrimental in some cases but in his case, it’s the opposite. He’s looked stronger than ever — his recovery times have been the lowest that we’ve had in the last two years so I’m delighted.”

Despite Davinson Sanchez’s impressive showing last season, it is still hard to argue that Tottenham will not miss Alderweireld should he leave, and there will be intense scrutiny on his displays for Belgium in Russia this summer.

If he enjoys a successful tournament, Spurs can drive his asking price up, but with Manchester United’s financial firepower, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.