Tottenham defender has a point to prove.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is already making his impact felt at the club after being appointed earlier this week.
Mourinho has decisions to make and one player with a real point to prove is Davinson Sanchez.
Sanchez has had a poor start to the season and now he has a coach who has publicly criticised him in the past.
The Colombian was in Ajax’s side which lost to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the 2017 Europa League final.
Mourinho told how he singled Sanchez out as a weak link.
In 2017, Mourinho told Tribuna Expresso in his native Portugal that he specifically set Manchester United up to ensure Davinson Sanchez had the ball.
He felt the defender was technically inferior to Matthijs de Ligt and more inclined to play the ball long and give possession back to United, who won the game 2-0.
Sanchez responded to Mourinho’s criticism earlier this year, telling Standard Sport: “I know about it and my reaction was, ‘Give me the ball to play now!’ Not to show him, just to do my job. That experience puts me in a better position to be here and see how life is.”
More than this
Sanchez’s problems extend further than Mourinho’s previous misgivings.
Mourinho is fond of working with older centre-backs and this leads to potential chances for Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
The Mirror report that the contract rebels are now more open to signing new deals at the club as they are intrigued by Mourinho’s appointment.
This would be bad news for Sanchez, who has been the third wheel to the Belgian duo since he arrived.
Mourinho was also pictured in training with young centre-back Japhet Tanganga, and has already been clear that he wants to help the club’s young talent thrive.
Sanchez could be the odd one out, caught in the middle, and he needs to raise his game and prove a point to Mourinho.
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