Tottenham: Steven Bergwijn is proving Jose Mourinho wrong

Tottenham’s season hasn’t been full of bright lights, but the play of Steven Berwijn has mightily impressed Jose Mourinho. 

Steven Bergwijn’s blast past David de Gea was enough to earn Tottenham a draw against Manchester United on Friday. If it was up to Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, Bergwijn might still be playing at PSV.

The Portuguese boss freely admits that Bergwijn “wasn’t his first option” in terms of attackers available for purchase in the January transfer window. As it turns out, Mourinho’s willingness to listen to the Tottenham scouting report is now paying big dividends for him on the pitch.

“He’s a good player. Congratulations to my club because initially he wasn’t my first option – in the end it was a great decision,” Mourinho said at Monday’s media conference. “He’s a player with a bright future and we are more than happy.”

Bergwijn made a sudden impression on Tottenham fans as soon as he arrived in North London. His exquisite volley against Manchester City alerted fans to his promise as a goal scorer. Mourinho and his coaching staff are even more impressed with the player’s attitude and work rate.

As much as Spurs fans are concerned with Berwijn’s play this season, it’s even more important that he secure a place in the club’s starting XI next year. Mourinho is anxious to rebuild the Tottenham squad in his image. It’s very unlikely he’ll have a large transfer budget to work with this summer. That makes the development of young players like Bergwijn particularly important to Mourinho’s future at the club.

The player’s ability to play on both the right and left flank of any formation gives him a great deal of positional flexibility. His best opportunity to carve out a regular role at Spurs is to show that he can flourish on the right. That would give Harry Kane quality support from both wings. Son Heung-Min already gives the club a serious goal threat from his spot on the left side of the attacking midfield.

Bergwijn’s biggest challenge to lock in his place at Tottenham may be to show that he can stay healthy for a full Premier League campaign. It’s unclear whether or not his sudden injury after arriving at Spurs was a freak incident or an indication that he’s actually an injury-prone player. The club already has enough injury concerns in their attack without adding Bergwijn to the mix.

In the end, Tottenham fans should expect Steven Bergwijn to be a name they see on their team sheet quite a bit over the next few seasons. Any young attacker who can impress Jose Mourinho in such a short period of time should be tipped for big things.