Tottenham Hotspur duo Erik Lamela and Juan Foyth are also teammates on the international stage with Argentina.
Tottenham’s Erik Lamela has lauded Juan Foyth for the ‘character’ he has shown this summer after he was thrusted into the Argentina limelight at the Copa America.
The 21-year-old defender, who is a centre-back by trade, played at right-back for his country as they finished third in the tournament.
It is a position that the highly-rated youngster is perhaps getting used to because Mauricio Pochettino has used him in a right-back role in a sporadic fashion recently.
Nonetheless, Lamela, who will now be preparing for the new Premier League campaign with Foyth, hopes he can continue his recent rise and take his game to the next level.
“He’s a young player who always wants to train hard and play,” Lamela told Spurs’ official website. “He always shows very good character and I’m so happy for him – what a way to finish the season!”
“It’s important for him. He’s young and developing well. He still has a lot of time. I’m so happy for him and will always try to help him as much as I can
“To be there, the pressure is big in Argentina. The team always has to win. Juan has big character and I believe in him. He is a player who is always confident, I can see that in every training session, in every game. I hope it’s the start of his career in the national team.”
Foyth joined Tottenham in 2017 for a fee of £8 million when Pochettino snapped up his fellow countryman from Estudiantes [BBC Sport].
Whilst Foyth hasn’t always been a regular under Pochettino, his game time is growing and he is slowing becoming an important part of his set-up.
Given his performances at the Copa America, it remains to be seen whether Pochettino will utilise Foyth at centre-back ahead of the new campaign, or try him out at right-back.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
