The Tottenham Hotspur full-backs did not inspire confidence in Gary Neville once upon a time.
Speaking to the Sky Sports podcast, Gary Neville admitted that he used to think of Tottenham Hotspur pair Kyle Walker and Danny Rose as “unreliable” players.
Neville knows the Tottenham duo from his time on England’s coaching staff.
Since Mauricio Pochettino replaced Tim Sherwood at Spurs in 2014, plenty of players look to have improved immensely, and both full-backs could be put in that bracket too.
Walker and Rose did their bit last season as Pochettino’s side mounted a very serious Premier League title challenge, though the wheels came off in the final couple of games.
One of their best and perhaps most underrated players last term was Mousa Dembele, who proved himself a vital cog in the Lilywhites’ midfield.
And Neville, speaking to the Sky Sports podcast, has claimed that the way in which all three have come on under the Argentine manager is a “complete transformation”, admitting that he might not have had the utmost trust in Rose and Walker once upon a time.
“Moussa Dembele is a perfect example of a player who’s been revitalised, while Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, who we had with England four years ago and they were what I would call players who were unreliable in many different ways.
“But in the last 12 months their energy and their appetite to play, their want and willingness to run and learn to do the right things is a complete transformation. That’s down to Pochettino and the boys themselves.”
Pochettino is adored on the white half of North London and his Tottenham side are refusing to go away. They beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City before the international break to end the Sky Blues’ six-match winning streak and move one point behind the Premier League leaders in the process.
The Lilywhites visit West Brom on Saturday.
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