Carlos Vinicius was ‘exceptional’ in Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-0 Europa League thrashing of Ludogorets and deserved his two goals on the night, Harry Winks told the club’s official website.
The early signs certainly suggest that, after the high-profile failures of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente, Spurs have finally found a top-quality back-up striker capable of making a serious impact in north London.
As Harry Kane rested his overworked limbs on the sidelines, Benfica loanee Vinicius opened his account at the fifth time of asking as Tottenham dismantled their Bulgarian visitors on Thursday.
The 2019/20 Primeira Liga Golden Boot winner showed trademark composure to slot home the opener, before tapping in from another Dele Alli assist a few minutes later.
Vinicius capped a real breakthrough performance in Spurs colours with an assist of his own in the second half, laying the ball off for Lucas Moura to put the icing on the cake.
“He deserves it. He’s been working hard and waiting for his opportunities and he got the two goals, took them well. We’re all happy for him,” said Winks, who also got his name on the scoresheet for the first time since January 2019 with a 55-yard wonder-goal/mishit pass.
“He’s a positive guy, he’s always smiling. To come in and to score, as a striker, that’s all they want. Not just that, his hold-up play and his work-rate was exceptional tonight. He’s done really well.”
It wasn’t just Vinicius’s poacher’s instinct that caught the eye as Tottenham moved to within an inch of Europa League qualification.
In stark contrast to Janssen and Llorente, the Brazilian clearly possesses the speed of feet and thought to run the channels, link the play and give Tottenham a much-needed out-ball against deep-lying opposition.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
