The Tottenham Hotspur striker has found life tough in England since making his move to the Premier League last summer.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min celebrates with Jan Vertonghen
Spurs centre-back Jan Vertonghen spoke to reporters after his side’s hugely important win over Swansea City last night, and discussed the recent struggles of Vincent Janssen, backing his teammate to come good, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
The 22-year-old moved to White Hart Lane from AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2016, for a fee believed to be in the region of £17 million, and has so far failed to live up to high expectations, scoring just five goals in 33 outings, with four of those coming from the penalty spot.
Vertonghen though, highlighted the step up in quality from the Eredivisie to the Premier League as something that Janssen has found hard to cope with, when speaking to reporters, but insisted that he can succeed with Tottenham, as quoted by the Evening Standard:
“Every team in Holland wants to attack and they don’t really think about defending. That’s the philosophy – just play 4-3-3 and play good football in possession, and don’t think too much about defending. Strikers get so many chances and goals in Holland. But Vincent is adapting very well now, he just needs that goal and then he’ll be on fire. Vincent’s working very hard. Obviously it wasn’t the start he wanted but he’s showing now what he’s capable of. Can he succeed in the Premier League? Definitely, yes. I am convinced of it.”
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen
Despite the Belgian’s words of encouragement, it is hard to visualise a scenario where Janssen is playing on a regular basis, let alone scoring consistently, what with Harry Kane’s status as Spurs’ first-choice striker.
The Dutchman has failed to fill the void during the England international’s absence through injury, and Maurico Pochettino seems to have more trust in using Son Heung-min as Kane’s deputy.
Janssen still needs time before he can be judged fairly, however, and with another pre-season under his belt, he might just surprise a few people next term, if he is given the chance of course.
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen in action
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