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Will Spurs’ Vertonghen and N’Jie Return When Healthy?

By Alexander Balano

BARCELONA,SPAIN - JANUARY 25: Manager Mauricio Pochettino looks on during day one of the Tottenham Hotspur Barcelona Training Camp at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on January 25, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
BARCELONA,SPAIN - JANUARY 25: Manager Mauricio Pochettino looks on during day one of the Tottenham Hotspur Barcelona Training Camp at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on January 25, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) /
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Come April, there’s a good chance that Spurs could be at full health when Jan Vertonghen and Clinton N’Jie should be making their long awaited returns to the squad.

Much has been said about Mauricio Pochettino’s penchant for letting players fully recover after suffering an injury before going back out onto the pitch.

Although, for Ryan Mason’s long awaited return to the squad, it was delayed for an extra month because he had returned too early before getting reinjured in a 0-0 draw against Chelsea on November 29.

Related Story: Wimmer Has Filled Vertonghen's Void Perfectly at Spurs

For Jan Vertonghen and Clinton N’Jie, who have been injured for two and three months respectively, they are close to regaining full fitness again.

That said, will they return to the 18-man matchday squad when healthy? Is there a spot for them right now on the current lineup?

At the moment it’s harder for Clinton N’Jie with the amount of players who could essentially fill a wide midfield/winger role on the team. From the current starters of Christian Eriksen and Érik Lamela, to rotational players like Nacer Chadli, Son Heung-Min and Josh Onomah.

But if there’s a need for more attacking players, then there’s no doubt that the brief glimpses that the Cameroon international showed in 13 appearances can be a big boost to a good Tottenham side who could always use extra firepower up top.

In Jan Vertonghen’s case, he could most likely reclaim his spot alongside Toby Alderweireld considering that the two Belgian center-backs had formed the best central defense partnership in the Premier League before Vertonghen was forced to miss time due to injury.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 08: Jan Vertonghen of Spurs looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on November 8, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 08: Jan Vertonghen of Spurs looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on November 8, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

But in the 28-year-old’s absence, Kevin Wimmer the Austrian international has stepped up in relief and has kept Spurs’ defense from slipping up with a player who only had five appearances prior to Vertonghen’s knee injury on January 23rd.

Since then, Wimmer has gone on to make a total of 20 appearances for Spurs and has looked just as good as his predecessor that now, it’s almost a toss up of who should start once Jan Vertonghen is fully fit.

Does Mauricio Pochettino go with an all-Belgian partnership that has plenty of experience to help them out in a Premier League title chase. Or does the Argentine manager stick to what has worked so far with Wimmer and Alderweireld?

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For the entire season, Pochettino has rotated his squad when need be. And even then, a couple of players had rarely been featured.

Earlier in the year, Kieran Trippier was the backup to Kyle Walker. Now, he’s almost on equal footing as Ben Davies and Danny Rose at the left-back position.

Tom Carroll whose future with Spurs seemed in doubt is actually one of Pochettino’s go-to players to bring on when he needs another central midfielder to keep possession but also help out in attack.

Last season, Mousa Dembélé was on the fringe of being a starter, but wound being a rotational player who also had a cloudy future.

Basically, Mauricio Pocchettino has a certain amount of players on his mind who will get a chance to play consistently. And if someone is doing well and deserves to get an extended run on the pitch, he will continue to get chances. Look at Dele Alli for example.

Alli started out as a substitute before working his way into a starting role due to injuries to Ryan Mason at central midfield andChristian Eriksen at attacking midfield.

Plus, with Dembélé filling in for a suspended Eric Dier against Liverpool it helped move Dele Alli into a more advanced role and in turn made the Belgian midfielder (when healthy) a starter alongside Dier to form another solid partnership on the starting eleven.

Next: Tottenham's Dele Alli is Wise Beyond His Years

Simply put, consistency has been a key factor in Mauricio Pochettino’s selections that even with Jan Vertonghen and especially Clinton N’Jie’s return to full fitness. It might not be as easy to just slot them back into the squad and have them reclaim their respective roles with the team before they suffering their injuries.

Vertonghen might get his starting center-back job back, but he will have to do a lot to convince Pochettino that when he’s 100 percent fit, that he can be just as good as he was before he was injured against an in-form defender who has filled a seemingly glaring hole in late January to perfection.

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