Tottenham should axe Jan Paul van Hecke and replace him with player who wins 70% of his duels
Jan Paul van Hecke should be replaced by Tosin Adarabioyo in the Tottenham starting eleven after suffering an injury for the Netherlands.
Van Hecke has been a regular for Spurs since he joined from Brighton in the summer transfer window.
Roberto De Zerbi has made his first-choice centre-back pairing clear after the Dutchman paired compatriot Micky van de Ven in four of their first five league games of the campaign.
The 26-year-old is set to be ruled out of Tottenham's first clash after the break against Man United with a foot injury suffered on international duty.
De Zerbi should choose Tosin to replace him in their starting eleven ahead of fellow summer signing Marcos Senesi.
The former Chelsea star's statistics from last season prove why he would be the better option in a must-win clash for De Zerbi.
Tosin Adarabioyo boasted better key stats than Marcos Senesi last season
Van Hecke is the more aerially dominant and physical centre-back compared to Van de Ven, so De Zerbi will be looking for a like-for-like replacement against the Red Devils.
Senesi did not help his chances of more game time with a sub-par competitive debut alongside Van Hecke as Spurs were beatn 3-0 by Brentford on the opening day.
Tosin had not been signed by that point of the summer, but should now be in line to make his first PL start for Tottenham at Old Trafford.
He made more successful passes per 90 than Senesi in the league last season (78.1 to 49.3) and completed a better percentage of his attempted passes than the Argentine (90 per cent to 78 per cent).
Tosin also won 70 per cent of his ground duels for Chelsea compared to Senesi's 52 per cent for Bournemouth, winning 6.62 per 90 to his 5.36.
He was also better in the air, with 4.68 aerial duels won per 90 to Senesi's 2.52.
What has De Zerbi said about Tosin's qualities?
Tottenham fans were up in arms at the controversial signing of Tosin from rivals Chelsea, so the onus is on him to prove the doubters wrong.
De Zerbi's praise of his abilities upon his arrival in North London could point to a first league start of the season being on the agenda for the 29-year-old next week.
Speaking in September, he said: "Tosin is a strong, athletic defender who plays with confidence and understands the demands of playing at the highest level.
"I've also been impressed with his mentality and desire to be part of what we are building. He knows the responsibility that comes with representing this Club. We’re very happy to have Tosin with us and I know our supporters will quickly see the qualities he can bring to the team."