Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that Victor Wanyama is capable of filling in for Mousa Dembele during the opening stages of the season.
The Belgian will miss Tottenham's first four games of the campaign as part of the six-match ban he received following his clash with Chelsea striker Diego Costa towards the end of last season.
Pochettino acknowledged that the midfielder will be a "big loss" for his side, but believes that summer signing Wanyama will step up.
"It's true that Mousa was important for us last season. It's a big loss for us for the first few games but we need to deal with that," Pochettino told reporters.
"It is a concern but it's not fair to say that the team dropped performance because Mousa wasn't in the team. It was about [the absence of] Dele Alli too and the team.
"It's an opportunity for Victor. I think Victor is a player that knows us and how we work and the philosophy and it was easy for him to develop his quality, his skill in the team. From day one of pre-season, he felt very comfortable and settled in the team. This is a good help for us."
Spurs will begin the new Premier League season away to Everton on Saturday.
Barney Corkhill
