Darren Bent says that Davinson Sanchez offers speed to the Tottenham defence, but the Colombian needs to add more to his game.
Sanchez signed for the Lilywhites in 2017 after helping Ajax reach the final of the Europa League, although they lost to Manchester United, managed then by Jose Mourinho.
The Special One identified the defender’s weakness before that game and helped his attackers exploit it to perfection.
He seems to have continued to struggle in those areas, but he is easily the fastest centre-back at Tottenham right now.
Bent says that Tottenham doesn’t have fast defenders, that is why they play Sanchez as his absence would make them sluggish at the back.
But the Colombian isn’t such a good defender, and Mourinho needs to add some good defenders, who are also quick.
He told Football Insider: “I’m pretty sure Mourinho said to United, ‘Let him [Sanchez] have the ball.’ He thought he was a weak link. Now he’s working with him.
“He’s got great pace, he’s very powerful. But I think that will only get you so far. If defensively you’re out of position or you’re not a very good one-to-one defender and you’re up against players who are really sharp, you can’t have them bully you. You’ve got to be a little bit more patient with your defending. Sometimes Sanchez doesn’t do that.
“But we already know that. The reason he has to play there at centre-half is because they lack real pace. Eric Dier’s has done very well and we know how good Toby Alderweireld can be, but he is getting on in age.
“So if you don’t play Sanchez in there, that’s a real lack of pace, and that can get you into trouble.
“It’s a situation that Mourinho is going to have to address. They have good defenders but the game is about pace nowadays and if you haven’t got much of it you’re going to struggle.”
Sanchez lost his place in the Tottenham first team for some time this season, and he remains behind Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld in the pecking order.