Tottenham fans have got something to cheer about as their star defender Jan Vertonghen was pictured in training along with his teammates.

The 29-year-old has been sidelined due to an ankle ligament damage that he picked up in Tottenham’s 4-0 rout over West Brom in middle of January. He has missed the club’s last five matches but his progression in the medical room has been pretty swift and is now racing against time to be fully fit for the trip to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round. Fans were anxious as the injury looked severe and there were murmurs that he won’t feature for the remainder of the season.

In his absence, though, Spurs have bagged mixed reviews at the back. They have conceded eight goals in the short period but is still the second-best defence in the Premier League so far, having secured 11 clean sheets and overall only conceding 18 goals.

Pochettino managed to tweak his formations and deploy capable deputies for the centre-back role, while fairly succeeded until they were humbled 2-0 by Liverpool at Anfield last weekend. The Belgian international’s true influence on the team’s defensive line is noticed when he isn’t playing. They looked short of confidence whenever Jurgen Klopp’s men piled pressure and were completely outplayed till the final whistle. A reality check that experience and leadership are attributes that should not be overlooked.

Since arriving from Ajax in 2012, Vertonghen has made the centre-back slot his. When Toby Alderweireld joined three years later, they have developed a near-telepathic partnership that has made them be one of the best centre-back duos in the Premier League. The pair were particularly impressive when Spurs were combating for the league crown last campaign.

However, another key defender, Danny Rose is still expected to miss a considerable chunk of the season with a knee injury. Ben Davies is currently taking up his duties but Spurs are yearning for that burst of speed and dangerous crosses into the box that Rose habitually does.