Vincent Janssen may have made a promising start to life at Tottenham but his new manager Mauricio Pochettino has still greater expectations for his summer signing.
The Dutch international started his first game since his £17million arrival from AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, with Harry Kane stepping back to the number 10 role as Janssen led the Spurs line in a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
Though the 22-year-old was unable to register his first goal in a Spurs shirt Janssen’s partnership with Kane earned plenty of plaudits, including from his manager.
“The way Vincent fights and works for the team is unbelievable, one of his best skills,” Pochettino told the club website.
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“Our supporters are very happy with his performance and we're happy as well.
“He’s a great, great player and great man as well and he's only 21, only young and he can improve a lot.
“Our expectations are big but it’s step by step because it’s his first season here in England and you have to give him time to work.”
Speaking after his side’s win over Palace at White Hart Lane Pochettino spoke of how he had envisaged pairing Kane with another striker when he first arrived at Tottenham in 2014.
Those plans have been rarely been used, not least because Pochettino did not have a second senior striker to call upon for much of last season. The remarkable rise of Dele Alli, the first-choice number 10 at Spurs, also makes it unlikely that Janssen and Kane will be regular partners in the coming months.
However Janssen will hope that he has offered enough to Pochettino to earn a regular role in the Tottenham side.
