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Jose Mourinho wowed by talented Spurs 25-year-old, says he’s ‘giving us what we want’

Giuseppe Labellarte

Sat 27 February 2021 9:15, UK

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has waxed lyrical about Carlos Vinicius, praising the Spurs on-loan striker’s attitude and saying he’s giving the club “what we want”.

The 25-year-old joined Spurs on loan from Benfica in October, but has largely struggled for game time since his arrival in North London.

In the Premier League, Vinicius has made just six appearances, one of which has been a start, and has played just 158 minutes in the competition.

However, the Brazilian has been given more game time in the Europa League and FA Cup, and he has done superbly when given a proper chance, registering nine goals and three assists.

Vinicius scored three goals in the Europa League last-32 tie against Wolfsberger, helping Spurs through with an 8-1 aggregate scoreline.

When asked by what more Vinicius could do to get in his Premier League plans, Mourinho gave an honest answer.

“He has one problem, and the problem is Harry Kane,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.

“You need to be a special guy, you need to be a special heart, a special mentality, a special feeling in relation to what you mean for the team, what the team expects from you.

“To be a striker in the same team as Harry Kane then you need to be a special guy, always motivated, always happy to have one minute, five minutes or start the game.

“He is giving us what we want. In the Premier League he is going to play because we have so many matches that Kane cannot play every match.”

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Vinicius joined Tottenham knowing that he was going to be playing second fiddle to Harry Kane, but credit to him for making the most of the limited game time he’s had.

Former Spurs striker Peter Crouch deemed Vinicius a “fantastic back-up to Kane” , and it’s great to see Mourinho praise him for his efforts.