The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back made a huge error during Colombia’s World Cup clash with Japan today.
This summer will be a vitally important one for Mauricio Pochettino, as he looks to guide his side to their first major trophy since their League Cup win in 2008.
Arguably, the Argentine’s most important decision will be whether or not to sell Toby Alderweireld, with Manchester United lining up a £50 million bid for the centre-back, according to a report from the Sun.
Spurs do have Davison Sanchez to call upon, but despite his impressive showings last season, Pochettino was served a stark reminder today that the 22-year-old is far from the finished article, and selling Alderwiereld could turn out to be a big mistake.
The Tottenham defender was on display for Colombia in their World Cup clash with Japan in Russia today, and made a glaring error inside the first five minutes, allowing Yuya Osako to wriggle free in a phase of play that led to the Japanese taking the lead.
Sanchez displayed all that is wrong with his game in that instance. His poor positional sense was exploited, before his lack of defensive nouse allowed Osako to bear down on goal far too easily.
It was the kind of mistake that Alderweireld would never have made, and should serve as a warning to Poch that the Belgian must be kept in north London this summer.
Even for the reported fee of £50 million, Tottenham will be considerably weaker without the 29-year-old, and whilst Sanchez will undoubtedly go on to become a really top-class performer, he is far from being classed in that category at the moment.
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