Mourinho suggests he’ll take 23-year-old out of Tottenham’s starting line-up in coming weeks

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has suggested to Football London that he will continue to rotate Joe Rodon in and out of his starting line-up.

Rodon played in a three-man defence for Tottenham yesterday, as they picked up a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United.

The Welsh defender impressed, as Spurs picked up an important three points.

However, Mourinho has hinted that Rodon will continue to be used as a rotational option as he learns to compete at Premier League level, saying that he has to be taken out of the team to aid his development.

“He played well. He did many things well, a couple of things not so well, but he’s a player who of course was playing in the Championship,” Mourinho said.

“A young guy, he has to learn. One thing is you want a central defender and you pay 70m for one of the top centre-backs in Europe, then to resolve your problems.

“Another thing is to get a good player, but a player who needs to develop. With Joe, that’s the situation. He has to learn, he has to make mistakes, he has to play, he has to not play. We have to try to give him conditions to perform. but potentially, potentially of course, he’s a good player who can become much much better.

“I’m happy. He did the same against Chelsea. He made a mistake that could have cost the game in the last minute but this is the mistake a young guy coming from a different reality can make and he has to be supported like he is and I am very pleased with his performance.”

Rodon’s selection yesterday was a show of faith from Mourinho in the powerful centre-back.

Tottenham could have picked Davinson Sanchez or Toby Alderweireld to play at the back, but it was Rodon who got the nod to start alongside Ben Davies and Eric Dier.

Rodon’s chances of keeping his place in Tottenham’s team are likely to depend on whether Mourinho sticks by his 3-4-3 system in the coming weeks.

If Tottenham do keep three-men at the back then Rodon may just be favoured to stay in the side, but if Mourinho decides to switch back to his 4-2-3-1 formation, then he could be put back on the bench again.