Japhet Tanganga got some much-needed minutes under his belt on Friday afternoon when Tottenham returned to the pitch for the first time in four weeks. Hosting Scottish side Motherwell in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hotspur Way, Antonio Conte's men ran out comfortable 4-0 winners.
The match gave all those present the opportunity to blow off the cobwebs and the head coach ensured that his first-team stars got 75 minutes in the tank. Whereas in pre-season it is usually a case of building up fitness and usually playing a half of football each, this time it was about topping up the levels and the players making the most of it with only two friendlies on the calendar before Premier League action resumes.
Eyes were unsurprisingly on Djed Spence, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and Oliver Skipp, but it was also a vital opportunity for Tanganga and one he had to take with both hands. Playing only 17 minutes of action so far in 2022/23, the former England Under-21 international has perhaps become the forgotten man of Conte's Tottenham squad.
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Opportunities just haven't been there for him this term with Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Clement Lenglet and Davinson Sanchez all ahead of him in the pecking order. Even in the Carabao Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest at the start of November, Tanganga remained an unused substitute despite it appearing to be the perfect game to hand him some playing time.
Injuries once again haven't helped his cause, this time missing out on the matchday squad in five successive games in early October with a knock. Almost three years on from his very impressive Premier League debut at home to Liverpool when Jose Mourinho threw him in at the deep end, the 23-year-old has 44 appearances to his name for Tottenham.
That number could have been considerably higher if it wasn't for a host of injuries that he has sustained at various times over the past 36 months, which include back, thigh, shoulder and knee problems. Tanganga just cannot seem to catch a break, with his knee injury last campaign coming at a time when he had started five successive games in Conte's backline.
Luck wasn't on his side once again towards the end of August with a potential move to Italian giants AC Milan collapsing despite looking increasingly likely that he would depart Tottenham Hotspur Stadium prior to the summer deadline. Appearing just once since then and an unused substitute on 15 occasions, Tanganga's name will be in the headlines quite a bit between now and the end of January regarding a transfer exit and the usual speculation regarding a switch to Italy will undoubtedly crop up again.
At an age where he needs to be playing football week in, week out to aid his development, 17 minutes from the 16 games he has been available for is no good for a player of his quality. After all, he needs to be on the pitch regularly after missing so much football through injury over the past few seasons.
Tottenham certainly cannot leave themselves too short in defence with Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup football on the cards in 2023, but Conte and Fabio Paratici also need to weigh up Tanganga's needs and find the best solution for both parties come the end of the transfer window. An exit, whether that be loan or permanent, needs to come to fruition for the academy graduate as there are no signs at all that his first-team chances will improve from January onwards.
Extremely unlucky with injuries restricting his playing time since his brilliant Tottenham debut, the versatile defender needs to get his career back on track after such a frustrating time. January really is going to be a pivotal time for the player in his Tottenham career.
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