Jose Mourinho praises Tottenham fringe player Victor Wanyama

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Jose Mourinho has delivered positive comments on Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama, despite overlooking him at the start of his managerial stint in North London.

The 28-year-old has played just three senior games across all competitions this season and has failed to make the squad for either of Mourinho’s first two games in charge of Spurs.

After rotten luck in the past two campaigns with injuries, the enforcer has slipped out into a fringe figure and is miles off the player that once starred alongside Mousa Dembele.

Wanyama has made just two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season, as well as starting the Carabao Cup defeat to Colchester United.

The defensive midfielder may have just been thrown an unlikely lifeline though by his new boss.

Mourinho has recognised that he’s still a quality option in the squad that has just been unfortunate so far under him due to a lack of match fitness.

“I know how good Victor is, I know he is not playing lately. Of course when you don’t play regularly you lose a little bit of that match condition,” Mourinho told Football.London.

“He is fit, he is fine, he has no physical problems at all. But one thing is to be fit and another is to be match fitness, match intensity, match pace.

“He needs to play and in this moment, in this phase – me just arriving and trying to organise a team and trying to a few good results – it is difficult to bring him to the team a player in this situation. The ideal situation was for him to play and then when he plays he will be back to what Victor is and Victor is a very good player.”

TBR’s View:

Wanyama’s chances of becoming a key Spurs player once again have looked slim in recent years, but is there a way back for him under Mourinho.

He’s exactly the type of midfielder that could excel under Mourinho and has shown that he can screen the back four effectively.

The Kenya international has been getting minutes with his country this season, but he will be unable to build any momentum until he gets a string of games at club level.

It seems unlikely that he can force his way into the XI ahead of some of his teammates in midfield positions, but Mourinho’s comments should give him a personal boost.