'It Surprised Us': Spurs Manager Mauricio Pochettino Praises Starlet's Impressive Recent Form

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has praised prodigal defender Davinson Sanchez's recent form, stating that he and the club are pleasantly 'surprised' by his impressive start to life at Spurs.

Speaking to Football.London, Pochettino also backed Kevin de Bruyne's claims that the 21-year-old defender would be a worthy winner of this year's PFA Young Player of the Year award: 

"I think Davinson [Sanchez] is doing fantastic from day one that he arrived here. But [Kevin] De Bruyne’s opinion is his opinion. But of course he’s young and he’s showing great qualities and performances to help the team achieve what we want.

"Our expectation when we signed Davinson [Sanchez] was he was a player with enormous potential who was, sure, going to help the team. 

"But of course his adaptation to the team and the Premier League was I think much better than we expected, and we are happy because when we decided to get him the club made a big effort, and now we’re all happy to have him with us."

Sanchez has played 34 games in all competitions this season, and has now seemingly dislodged Toby Alderweireld in the heart of the Lilywhites defence. However, what has impressed the Tottenham Hotspur manager the most since the youngster's summer arrival, is his willingness to learn: 

"I think he’s humble. That is a massive point for every single player to learn, and to adapt yourself into the new environment. Of course he’s a player that’s young but he’s always trying to improve and learn.

"It surprised us because we had a lot of information about his character but I think he surprised us much better than we expected because he’s always available to learn, to improve. He accepts criticism, corrections, and that for me is the most important thing."