Hugo Lloris' future at Spurs has been a hot topic of discussion for fans and pundits alike in recent months, especially in January when the 34-year-old was reportedly attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

The French shot-stopper has admitted in the past that he won't finish his career with Spurs, and with his current contract set to run out at the end of next season, it seems as if Daniel Levy will soon have to begin the search for his successor.

However, he may already have the ideal man to replace Lloris at Spurs in academy graduate Alfie Whiteman, with the Englishman having established himself as Spurs' third-choice goalkeeper this season.

The 22-year-old is a product of Spurs' youth academy and made his first team debut for the club earlier in the season when he came on as a late substitute for Joe Hart in a Europa League fixture against Ludogorets.

Mourinho clearly has faith in the youngster, as he was more than willing to send Paulo Gazzaniga out on loan during the winter transfer window, despite the Argentinian featuring a lot last season when Lloris was sidelined through injury.

Hart was perhaps only brought in to increase Spurs' homegrown quota, and considering he will turn 34 next month, it surely won't be long until we see Whiteman move ahead of him in the pecking order with the north London club.

The young shot-stopper has been a regular with Spurs' academy sides in recent years and signed a new contract with the club in 2019, which will keep him there until 2022 at least. He also comes endorsed by ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robison, who told Football Insider last autumn that he has "been impressed with" what he has seen of Whiteman at under-23 level.

Therefore, if Lloris - who reportedly earns £100,000 per week at Spurs - does leave the north London club in the near future, then perhaps it is time the Lilywhites put their faith in Whiteman to step up as his replacement.

After all, he wouldn't be in and around the first team squad if Mourinho didn't believe in his ability, so hopefully we will see the youngster get more regular first team opportunities soon, as there seems no reason why he can't be the man to ultimately replace Lloris at Spurs.

And, in other news... 12 duels won: Spurs beast was superb vs Zagreb; Jose has a big call to make