Vertonghen eyes central defensive role at Tottenham

Oct 10, 2012 11:05:00 AM

The Belgian has filled in at left-back since his arrival from Ajax due to the absence of Benoit Assou-Ekotto but has expressed his preference for playing in the middle

Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has spoken of his desire to return to the centre of defence, suggesting he has "other ambitions" than playing at left-back.

The 25-year-old made his name as a ball-playing centre-back at Ajax but has featured at full-back as cover for the injured Benoit Assou-Ekotto since sealing a €10 million move to north London in the summer.

And, despite admitting his national team boss would be happy with his deployment out wide, the Belgian has revealed his preferred position is in the middle.

"At Tottenham I play left-back because of injuries. Marc Wilmots likes that perhaps, but I've got other ambitions," he told reporters.

Vertonghen is currently with the Belgium national team ahead of their World Cup qualifying clash with Serbia, a game which he believes will be a difficult prospect.

"The match in Serbia will be one of the hardest, but everyone knows how important this is and is very sharp. We'll go for the three points, but must be sharp in the defence," he added.

"Serbia is starting a new phase where a lot of new players must be integrated. It looks like the situation we were in a few years ago and everyone knows how hard that is. We must take advantage of that."