Alan Shearer has urged Tottenham centre-forward to stake a claim for his place when he lines up against Rochdale on Sunday afternoon.
The 32-year-old has been promoted to the starting XI for the away match against League One Rochdale in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino has decided to make 11 changes to his side from the team that drew with Juventus in the Champions League, but it’s still a star-studded line up on show.
Llorente gets a chance to spearhead the attack and has been rarely seen this campaign due to talisman Harry Kane being the number one striker.
The Spaniard is a powerful centre-forward that is renowned for being good in the air and would love to add to his tally of two goals so far this season.
Shearer explained before the cup clash that Llorente has been “rusty” as a lot of his 25 appearances this season have come from the bench, but feels he can showcase his talent on Sunday.
“It is a chance and he hasn’t had that many. He knew the deal when he did sign,” Shearer said on BBC One during the televised match between Spurs v Rochdale (3:45pm).
“You’ve got to make an impression, he is rusty. He has got another opportunity today to try stake a claim.”
OPINION
Llorente has not quite made the desired impact at the north London club, but there is no doubt the Rochdale clash is a big game for him. Spurs still have a busy fixture list in the remainder of the campaign and are just one Kane injury away from a crisis. Llorente is the second-choice striker in the squad and needs to prove he can step in if required. The Spanish World Cup winner is a very experienced player that is a great figure to have in the dressing room, but needs to also show he can make a significant impact.