Vertonghen Backs Townsend to be New Bale

Tottenham defender, Jan Vertonghen, has backed man-of-the-moment, Andros Townsend, to be as good as the man he has replaced.

Townsend had to earn his place in the Spurs side the hard way. The winger had loan spells with nine different clubs before finally getting his break at Tottenham at the start of this season.

Not only has he now established himself in the Spurs set-up, but he played a starring role as England justified their short odds in the football betting by booking their World Cup place with back-to-back wins over Montenegro and Poland.

Townsend capped off a week in which he earned his first two international caps and a new long-term deal with the opener in Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

The victory took Andre Villas-Boas’ side within three points of top spot, a better position than most fans who bet on football would have expected when Gareth Bale left White Hart Lane in a £85million deal in the summer.

Townsend’s early-season form has led to comparisons with the Real Madrid man, a likeness Vertonghen was keen to talk up.

“I think Andros can be our new Gareth Bale. He has so much pace and technique and skills, and he can do it with both feet. I hope he can keep going like this and he can even be our best player,” he said.

“Can he reach the same level as Bale? Maybe one day, if he keeps working – and he will. He’s young. In two or three years I think he can go to that level, yes.”
The Belgium international would not relish a battle with the 22-year-old should their paths meet in Brazil next summer.

“I remember playing against him in training last year. Sometimes I played left-back so I played against him when he was on the right wing in training, and I never liked playing against him,” Vertonghen added.