Jan Vertonghen believes Christian Eriksen is now one of the world’s best players after fulfilling the potential he showed as a teenager.
Eriksen will be expected to provide the creative spark for Tottenham against APOEL in Nicosia on Tuesday, especially with Dele Alli absent through suspension.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team seek their second consecutive Champions League victory after they beat Borussia Dortmund 12 days ago.
Eriksen, 25, scored 12 times and had 23 assists in all competitions last season. He already has two of each in the League after scoring the third goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win at West Ham.
Vertonghen was at Ajax when Eriksen made his debut for the Dutch giants in 2010, while the Dane joined Spurs in 2013, the year after Belgian Vertonghen made the switch to north London.
Asked if Eriksen was now on the same level as the top playmakers, Vertonghen said: “I believe so, yes. He has made unbelievable progress. I have known him for many years and he has always been a great talent but in the last two seasons he has made such big steps forward. Everyone always said that with his quality, he could become the best playmaker in the world.
“He scores goals and provides assists and, when he drops deeper, he does very well. In the last two seasons, he has been enormous.”
Vertonghen will also be absent for the tie against APOEL in Cyprus after he was sent off for two bookings against Dortmund, but he will be clear to face holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu next month.
That means Pochettino will be forced to make at least two changes on Tuesday, with Eric Dier possibly dropping into the back three to replace Vertonghen and Heung-min Son stepping in for Alli. Mousa Dembele, struggling with ongoing foot and ankle trouble, was not deemed fit enough even for a place on the bench at West Ham.
Vertonghen added: “Mousa knows his own body better than anyone and, hopefully, he is back at 100 per cent really quickly as he is a very important player for us.”
Serge Aurier is likely to keep his place at right-back as he will be suspended at Huddersfield on Saturday after he received two bookings at West Ham. If Spurs beat APOEL and Madrid defeat Dortmund, it will leave both Spurs and Madrid with six points and Dortmund and APOEL with none — vital breathing space for Tottenham ahead of the double-header with Madrid.
Harry Kane, who scored twice against West Ham to take his tally to six in his past four matches, said: “Of course, we are confident, especially after the last result in the Champions League. It is going to be tough, but we can win.
“It is a quick turnaround, but with a win we would be on six points, which would be a great position. I imagine it will be a hostile atmosphere and we don’t know what the pitch will be like, so we have to adapt to that quickly.”