Ray Wilkins has hailed Mauricio Pochettino – but says the Tottenham manager now needs to start winning trophies.
Pochettino’s side enjoyed a brilliant Champions League victory at Wembley on Wednesday night, beating holders Real Madrid to progress to the knockout stage of the tournament in fine style.
But former Chelsea man Wilkins believes it’s time for Spurs to start winning silverware as well as plaudits.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Wilkins said: “I applaud the guy. I think he’s very brave at what he does and he’s got a very, very good group of players.
“The guy has been absolutely fantastic. The only thing now with Mauricio is that he has to win.
“His stock is rising by the day, but until you’ve actually won trophies within the Premier League it’s very difficult to make that next step.”
Wilkins, who has previously managed QPR as well serving Chelsea as a player and coach, also praised Tottenham and England star Dele Alli, who scored twice against Real.
“This guy, at 21, has already played 200 games. Phenomenal,” Wilkins said.
“You look at some of the other guys of his age, and I go to our own (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek at Chelsea.
“I think Loftus-Cheek has immense talent but he hasn’t played at this level and he hasn’t played the amount of games that this guy (Alli) has played.
“I think he has similar qualities – he can score goals. But Dele Alli went to MK Dons and played and I think it’s vitally important that you get the game time under your belt.”