Ange Postecoglou says £70k-per-week player has really impressed him after enduring ‘tough’ time at Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted he was seriously impressed by one of his players on Saturday.

The Lilywhites may have made hard work of their victory on the weekend against Luton Town, but they got there in the end.

Heung-min Son was the hero once again for Ange Postecoglou’s side as they kept up the pace in the race for the top four.

But it is a quick turnaround as Tottenham make the short trip to the London Stadium tonight where they will take on West Ham.

What Ange Postecoglou said about Brennan Johnson

It may not come as a surprise to many that the Australian was full of praise for Brennan Johnson in the wake of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The winger came on at half time following a hugely underwhelming first 45 minutes from Dejan Kulusevski.

After all, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven were equally as impressed as the pair hailed the 22-year-old on Instagram.

READ MORE: Get to know Brennan Johnson, the promising £47.5m Tottenham winger

But this did not stop the 58-year-old Spurs manager from telling the press just how pleased he was with what he saw from Johnson against Luton.

Speaking from Hotspur Way on Monday, Postecoglou spoke at length about Johnson and his development since signing from Nottingham Forest for £47.5m.

He said: “Brennan was super on the weekend. Look, he’s another one. He’s still young, he’s developing. He’s moved to a big club where there’s big expectations when you have a big transfer fee.

“But for the most part I think he’s handled it really well. He started the two games before he came off the bench, he did really well against Villa. He wasn’t great against Fulham but most of the team wasn’t great against Fulham. This time he came again off the bench and made an impact.”

It is also clear Postecoglou is impressed with the way Johnson has handled his the scrutiny which comes with making a big money move to a big side: “He’s another one understanding more and more how we want to play and he’s adjusting to it,” he said.

“Like I said, for the most part he’s handled himself really well this year. It was always going to be a tough introduction for a young player, moving to a big club for a transfer fee. And it’s always harder for attacking players because they are usually measured on one thing, goals and assists. But I think he’s contributing in more than just that.”

What challenge Ange Postecoglou has set for Brennan Johnson

As a result of the rules in the Premier League, Johnson may feel he was robbed of another assist on the weekend.

Having come on at half time for the Swedish winger, Johnson transformed the game by providing Spurs with a direct threat down the right side.

And he provided the cross for Issa Kabore’s own goal which put Spurs on level terms.

However, he did manage to get an assist to his name before the end of the game as he neatly laid off Son for what proved to be the winning goal.

Having racked up his seventh assist of the term – as well as four goals – Postecoglou spoke after the game about the target he’s now setting the Welshman.

He said: “It was great for Brennan. He’s made quite a few impacts now off the bench. The challenge for him is to maintain that consistency. We know what a good player he can be and try to make an impact whenever he plays.”

A performance like that from the bench will make it nigh on impossible for Postecoglou to not include the £70k-per-week man from the start against West Ham.

Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes enjoyed a lot of success from the wings against the Hammers on Saturday which will be an encouraging sign for Johnson.

Ahead of the game on Tuesday night, The Spurs News has provided an early look at our predicted starting XI, which you can read here.