The duo play together for Tottenham Hotspur and Belgium.
Jan Vertonghen has told the Hertfordshire Mercury that Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Mousa Dembele is among the Premier League’s finest midfielders.
Dembele could face Monaco in Tottenham’s Champions League opener at Wembley tonight, having missed Spurs’ start to the domestic season due to a six-match ban.
In his place, Victor Wanyama, a summer signing from Southampton, and Eric Dier have formed an excellent partnership in midfield; something which Vertonghen claims is testament to how good the Lilywhites’ squad is.
But the Belgian midfielder was one of Tottenham’s best players last season in a league campaign which saw them mount a serious challenge for a first top-flight title since 1961, and Mauricio Pochettino will find it difficult to leave him out.
Vertonghen, who also plays with Dembele for Belgium, says that his compatriot is one of the best in England in terms of his position, but is enthused by how Spurs have coped in his absence so far this season.
“Mousa is for me one of the best midfielders in the league,” Vertonghen told the Hertfordshire Mercury.
“It’s a shame that he hasn’t been there at the start of the season, but if you see how Victor did and Eric Dier and even Dele Alli when he had to drop back into a defensive midfield role, they’ve done brilliantly.
“It’s a perfect example of the strength of our squad.”
Dembele played 45 minutes for Belgium last week, so he is not completely short on match fitness as a result of his suspension, but Pochettino would be wise to continue with Wanyama and Dier in midfield until the 29-year-old is fully up to speed.
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