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Despite ending up on the losing side last night, Tottenham’s Joe Rodon received a glowing verdict from Wales’ national media after his international performance.

Rodon, 23, is a defender that isn’t yet a nailed-on starter for club side Spurs, but has cemented his spot in the XI for his country.

The centre-back played during Wednesday night’s 3-1 Wales defeat to Belgium, as they let an early lead slip in the World Cup qualifier.

But he did catch the eye, engaging in a fascinating battle with opposition centre-forward Romelu Lukaku.

Rodon excelled as the middle centre-half in the back three, and he looks an important part of Welsh set-up moving forward.

National media outlet Wales Online gave the Spurs defender an 8/10 score for his player rating, as well as some glowing words about his performance.

“Comfortably the best of Wales’ three centre-backs, he was the one tasked with dealing with the Romelu Lukaku threat and Rodon stood up to the challenge superbly for the most part,” wrote Wales Online.

“Solid in the air and on the deck, his stock rose on an otherwise disappointing evening for Wales.

“With Gareth Bale rested, he could be Wales skipper in Saturday’s friendly with Mexico.”

TBR’s View:

If Rodon is catching the eye against the world’s number-one ranked national side, it shows he’s got a special quality.

Despite the fact Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has rotated heavily in his defence this year, Rodon has only made 10 Spurs appearances across all competitions this season.

His exclusion from the Europa League squad didn’t help his minutes, but surely now the manager can see why fans have been desperate for him to play more.

He’s a little raw around the edges, but is young enough to mature and has all the attributes to be a real leader in the defence moving forward.