Danny Rose and Kyle Walker can be as good for Tottenham Hotspur and England as legendary full-back pair Bixente Lizarazu and Lilian Thuram were for France, according to Spurs and France captain Hugo Lloris.

Rose and Walker have been unstoppable in recent weeks, setting up the first two goals against Hull City on Wednesday night, before beating Burnley on Sunday. Walker set up the first and Rose scored the second in a 2-1 win.

They are the best pair of full-backs in the country right now, and only Hector Bellerin could claim to be playing better than either of them. Lloris knows how dependant his team now is on their pace and delivery, and said on Sunday night that they could be as good as France’s famous pair, who drove them to glory at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

“They can be as important as them for Spurs, and for the England national team too,” Lloris said. “They are still young. There are still some good players in front of them but if they keep working hard I would not be surprised if they had a great international career and they will help the club achieve great things as well.”

Spurs signed Rose in 2007 and Walker in 2009 and the pair are now coming into their prime, improving every week thank to Mauricio Pochettino’s coaching. “They are very committed to the team,” Lloris said. “They have been in the club for a while and you can see that on the pitch. The way they play, the way they run, they can feel it.”



Rose and Walker excelled on Wednesday night as wing-backs and then on Sunday as full-backs in a back four, embracing their importance to Pochettino’s otherwise-narrow team.

“They are very involved, and in our philosophy of play, they have a lot of freedom,” Lloris said. “We play a very attacking game but they try to be as strong as possible at the back, they first try to be very good defenders but also to help the team score and create chances. In the last two games they were decisive for the team. It’s a great feeling for them and for the team too.”

Pochettino said on Sunday night that he was thrilled with the combination of the pair, who are still improving and have become two of his most effective weapons.