By Laura O'Leary

1st Dec, 2017 | 12:55pm

'Has he had a double hip replacement?' – talkSPORT pundit destroys Tottenham first-team star

Perry Groves brutally questioned Jan Vertonghen’s recent performance and made the allegation that Tottenham centre-back had slowed down drastically.

The former Arsenal player was talking on Jim White’s show on talkSPORT (Friday, 12:09) about whether Guillem Balagué’s book, Brave New World: Inside Pochettino’s Spurs, had contributed to Spurs’ slump in form.

The book features Mauricio Pochettino’s thoughts on his time at the club, and some have suggested it has affected the Tottenham players, an allegation the manager has dismissed.

However, Groves ignored the book as an issue and simply focused on the 30-year-old defender’s recent performance.

“What has happened to Jan Vertonghen, has he had a double hip replacement?” Groves asked. “Honestly lately he’s got the turning of a QE2 (Queen Elizabeth 2), I’ve never noticed that before.”

The former Gunner than agreed to the suggestion that the Spurs defender is slowing up, before wondering whether he is “missing his partner” Toby Alderweireld, who is currently injured.

Tottenham have gone three league games without win, losing to both Leicester City and Arsenal, as well as drawing with West Bromwich Albion.

The recent results have seen them drop to seventh in the Premier League, four points off the Champions League places and 16 points behind league leaders Manchester City.

Spurs were expected to be title contenders this season after finishing runners-up to Chelsea last season, but given their recent and current position, Pochettino has already referred to the title bid as effectively dead.

In other Tottenham news, Michael Owen reveals the biggest problem Spurs have.

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