Glenn Hoddle has praised Tottenham defender Kieran Trippier for his performance for the England national team against Germany on Friday evening.
The 27-year-old enjoyed his third appearance for his country as he was part of a back-four which held the world champions to a 0-0 draw at Wembley Stadium in a friendly match.
The Spurs man performed well and he was later replaced after 70 minutes by former teammate Kyle Walker who has been the preferred choice at right-back over the last couple of seasons for both club and country.
After Walker’s departure from North London in the summer, Trippier has enjoyed regular football at Spurs and he produced consistent performances so far this season.
The full-back has also demonstrated that he can provide an attacking threat from defence, contributing an impressive tally of seven assists in all competitions.
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, former England manager Hoddle believes that Trippier should be considered as a serious contender in the right full-back role.
“There were so many withdrawals that it was difficult to see exactly what Gareth Southgate was going to learn from the match,” he said.
“But by the end there was some reasons to feel more optimistic.
“It wasn’t just the excellence of some of the debutants, such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jordan Pickford.
“There were players like Kieran Trippier, winning his third cap, looking a real option at right-back.
“In fact, as a former England manager, who liked my players to play out from the back, I have to say I looked on in envy. I would have loved to have worked with these defenders.”
OPINION
Hoddle is absolutely correct in singling out Trippier for praise. Although the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are rightly gaining the plaudits for Spurs’ early season form, Trippier has been absolutely sensational and the team haven’t felt the absence of Walker from the summer. It is refreshing to see that there are now great options in the defensive line which will only stand them in good stead as they look to progress into the latter rounds of the upcoming World Cup in Russia. If Trippier continues his fine form, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see clubs keeping an eye on him next summer.