Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he is likely to be without defender Jan Vertonghen for the next six weeks.

The Belgium international suffered ankle ligament damage during the second half of last weekend's 4-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Pochettino tends to avoid setting timelines of recovery on his injured players, but he has revealed that a six-week layoff is likely for Vertonghen, according to BBC Sport.

[ad_pod id='now-tv' align='centre']

The Argentine told reporters:

"When your mind is positive it's easier to recover. He doesn't require surgery. We have players that can perform in his place and we are very happy with the squad and the players we have."

The positive for the club is that the defender does not need to go under the knife to rectify the problem.

However, the 29-year-old's absence is a big blow to the North London outfit, who currently sit second in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea.

With Vertonghen in the side, Pochettino's men have conceded just 14 goals, which is the best defensive record in the Premier League at the moment.

Ben Davies and Kevin Wimmer are expected to be vying for that position while Vertonghen is on the sidelines.

[ad_pod id='Shoot-Xmas-Survey' align='left']

[ad_pod id='playwire' align='center']