Jan makes a pitch for Poch

Jan Vertonghen believes tottenham must do everything they can to keep manager Mauricio Pochettino beyond this summer.

the Belgium defender (below) returned from a knee injury on Sunday as tottenham beat Manchester United 3-0 to keep the pressure on Leicester and the gap at just seven points in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.

Pochettino has attracted the attention of some of europe’s biggest clubs but Vertonghen thinks Spurs are on the verge of something special and insists that the argentine, who was recently offered a club record £ 5.5million- a- year contract extension by chairman Daniel Levy, is the only man to lead the charge. asked how important it is for Pochettino to stay, the centre back said: ‘For me it is vital. to keep this thing going, he has to stay. I think everyone wants him to stay and he feels that — that we want to fight for him and that this team is the best thing for him, so I hope he stays. ‘If you see the way we play, how dominant we are, how we have the best attack, we have got the best defence. We run the most, we have got everything to be up there and I think the gaffer gives us that belief.’

Vertonghen is one of only four tottenham players to have lifted a domestic league title, having won the Dutch league twice with ajax.

Both times they came from behind to finish top — including 2011-12 where they were trailing by 13 points in november, but the 28-year-old admits Spurs’ task is much harder.

‘I think this is a bit different,’ he said. ‘normally at this stage of the saeson, the best team are up there — and all compliments to Leicester City. But I think we’re a very good team.’