Tottenham fans have not seen much of Japhet Tanganga in match action this season after making a huge impression for the club 12 months ago.
Handed a shock league debut against runaway leaders Liverpool, the 21-year-old grasped his opportunity with both hands and dealt incredibly well up against the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Playing a further nine games for Jose Mourinho until football came to a halt at the start of March due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tanganga didn't appear again for Spurs after the restart due to a back issue.
The academy graduate has made seven appearances in total so far this term, with three of those in the Europa League, but a number of niggling injuries have stopped him adding to that total.
A player who is rated extremely highly by Mourinho and the club, Tanganga will be hoping for better luck in 2021 as he looks to become a Tottenham regular.
Speaking to the club's official programme for the Liverpool game (which you can order here), the player opened up on the past 12 months and the injury issues that have stopped him from featuring more regularly.
"I would say it's been an eventful year! There have been many ups, many downs," said the defender.
"It was my back during lockdown, then my quad in pre-season, I came back, played against Chelsea in the League Cup, hurt my knee, came back against Royal Antwerp, then my shoulder popped out in that one
"The injuries haven't been bad in terms of length - okay, the back was about four months - but the others have been four or five weeks, a couple of weeks for the shoulder, but you end up missing a lot of football, you lose that bit of momentum and you have to get back into your rhythm. That's tough, but it's part of the game.
"Now, I'm working hard to try and get back into the team. Hopefully, I'll get another chance soon. I feel fit, I feel good, physically strong and ready to go. That's where I see myself at the moment."
Tanganga will be hoping to be back in the Premier League squad on Sunday when Tottenham travel to Brighton & Hove Albion.
