Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez says he does not want to “disappear from football” amid a lack of game-time this season and has revealed he may have a “decision to make” if the situation does not change in future.
The Colombia international has slipped down the pecking order under Antonio Conte but captained the side on his ninth start of the campaign in Saturday's 3-0 win at Preston in the FA Cup fourth-round.
“I'm really happy [to be captain],” Sanchez told Standard Sport afterwards. “You wait for these types of moment, more when you are at the club for as long as I've been. I'm very thankful to the boys for being behind me.
“Definitely [it has been a frustrating period]. As a player, especially at my age and knowing that I'm very capable to play in this team, I think when no gametime comes it’s very hard. You're an international player as well, and looking at that situation. You don't want to disappear out of football.
“But I'm still here, I'm still competitive and I'm still showing I'm ready to play. If the manager says I deserve it, I will. If not, I'll wait for my moment and then maybe there's a decision to take. I have to show that I'm professional enough to face this situation.
“The manager is very close to me and speaks to me in the right way all the time,” added the 26-year-old, who joined Spurs in a then club-record deal worth £40million in 2017. “Of course he has to take decisions in the end, like any manager.
“Every three or four days he has to take decisions on who can start games. We have to be ready always. I'm in a side that tries to be competitive in every competition, so the most important thing is we're there, pushing the boys that are normally starting at the moment and waiting for our moment. We have to be ready, we have to prepare ourselves in the right way so when this type of game comes we have show yourself as well.”
Heung-min Son's fine double and a debut goal from substitute Arnaut Danjuma booked Spurs' place in the fifth-round, and suggested the South Korean may have turned a corner in his difficult season.
“He's always been incredible for us,” Sanchez said of Son. “For us, no-one has any doubts about Heung-min, he's a top player and a top guy.
“Of course as players we wait for this moment and the most important thing now is how he reacts. He's a very important player for this club. He gave a lot but still has a lot more to give us. We're behind him, the fans are behind him and I think football is behind him. Because [everyone in] football loves when he is on form and scores this type of goals, and shows he's alive.”
Next up for Antonio Conte's side is Sunday's rematch against champions Manchester City, after Conte's side squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 at the Etihad 11 days ago.
“We're very capable of beating them but we know that side is very special in the way that they play,” Sanchez said. “We just need to go into the game with the right mentality and preparation.
“We have a full week to prepare for the game and a full week to rest enough and be in the game to be competitive. I always side when we're on our game we're very capable of beating any side in the world.”
