OPINION
Andy Cole was spot-on to claim that Fernando Llorente can be an attribute for Tottenham in the final stretch of the season as he has truly defied expectations.
The former Manchester United forward heaped praise on the veteran Spurs forward and claimed that he had done a great job since coming into the team as of late.
Cole also defended Llorente’s earlier mistakes and miss opportunities when first taking Kane’s place in the first-team this season by suggesting any player in the same situation would suffer from rustiness.
“The players who have stepped in have done a really good job, I know everyone was worried about Kane being injured and Son going away but for me personally Llorente has done a great job, he has come in got goals, and everyone wasn’t expecting too much of him but he has played for massive clubs in Europe,” said Cole on Sky Sports’ The Debate (Thursday February 14th, 22:32).
“So it’s not as if he can’t play the game, he has come in and the way he has gone about his business I think he has done really well.
“Very much so (whether rustiness was affecting him) I don’t know how many games he has played this season or at Tottenham but you can’t be thrown in at the deep end and expected to be sharp as a knife.
“What he has kept doing is getting in the right positions, he’s got a chance, he scored, he scored one the other night with a nice little header and that’s him.
“The more games he plays, the better he’ll get, though Kane could be back soon, but he (Llorente) can be an attribute especially in the final stretch of the Premier League.”
Cole is spot-on to suggest that Llorente had defied expectations, especially with him getting more up to speed with each passing game, and he does deserve credit.
While the attacker has managed to defy expectations due to everyone setting the bar so low, he has still done none the less.
With Kane hopefully back soon, Llorente, who has seven goals this season, will probably see his playing time dramatically reduced, however he will be an attribute in the games that remain.
The clearly unappreciated ace, at least by some, has shaken off the rust and will likely be able to make more impact from the bench in order to help Spurs potentially get their hands on some silverware.