Jan Vertonghen marked his return to the Tottenham Hotspur side by pledging that they are hoping to lift both the FA Cup and the Europa League in May.

Spurs will face Millwall in the FA Cup quarter-finals next month and this Thursday they have the chance to overturn their 1-0 deficit in the Europa League against KAA Gent. The Premier League looks beyond Spurs but, in the third season of the Mauricio Pochettino era at White Hart Lane, there is a clear focus to get their hands on a trophy this season.

Tottenham lost the League Cup final in 2015 and then missed out on the Premier League title in 2016. The players are desperate to change that in 2017,which is why they played such a strong side at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

“I think the manager understands the importance of the Europa League and the FA Cup as well, and it’s good that we take it very seriously,” Vertonghen said. “We want to win both, and to compete in the league as well. I think our team is fit enough to cope with these things.”

Vertonghen is one of the few Spurs players with experience of winning silverware, having won two Dutch titles and one Dutch cup with Ajax before he left for Tottenham in 2012. He wants to do the same at Spurs, and thinks it would be a fair reward for their improvement under Pochettino.

“We played the final against Chelsea at Wembley in 2015 and we want more of that,” he said. “I won some silverware at Ajax and it’s the best thing there is in football. I think this team and the technical staff deserve a trophy at this club.”

Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Marcus Bettinelli – 5 out of 10 Made a handful of important saves, but he was a victim of a very on-form strike force. Getty Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Denis Odoi – 5 out of 10 Was flying into unnecessary challenges and this continued to provide Spurs with goal scoring chances. Getty Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Tomas Kalas – 4 out of 10 Failed to make any kind of impact today. Saw very little of the ball. AFP/Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Tim Ream – 6 out of 10 Made a number of important interceptions and tackles. An all round positive display. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Scott Malone – 6 out of 10 Held his own at the back against the likes of Kane and Alli. Stood his ground well and his decision making was faultless. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Kevin McDonald – 4 out of 10 Looked out of his depth when defending against the Spurs strikers. Simply looked outclassed. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Stefan Johansen – 5 out of 10 It was a quiet performance for a man of such ability. Did little to threaten the Spurs defence. AFP/Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Sone Aluko – 5 out of 10 Due to a lack of service, he failed to show his ability on the ball. He was bossed by the Tottenham back four. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Neeskens Kebano – 6 out of 10 Hunted possession relentlessly, but failed to cause any problems in the final third. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Tom Cairney – 5 out of 10 Was wasteful in possession and drifted in and out of the game at times. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Floyd Ayite – 6 out of 10 Did well to keep sprinting back and winning possession, but in terms of going forward, he showed little promise. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Michel Vorm – 5 out of 10 An early lapse from the keeper nearly supplied Fulham the equaliser but he was redeemed by the defence. Aside from that, it was a quiet day. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Kieran Trippier – 7 out of 10 He was tremendous today – relentlessly charged down the right and supplied the strikers with service all day long. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Toby Alderweireld – 7 out of 10 He was a rock at the back today. His positioning, decision making and use of possession were all spot on. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Jan Vertonghen – 6 out of 10 It was a very comfortable return to first team football – he oozed confidence throughout. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Ben Davies - 6 out of 10 Recovered from his nightmare display at Anfield, was relatively untroubled. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Harry Winks – 7 out of 10 An excellent display from the youngster. He was alert, made space well and use possession effectively. AFP/Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Victor Wanyama – 6 out of 10 Dictated play when in possession, but defensively he needs to tighten up. Lost his marker on several occasions. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Christian Eriksen – 7 out of 10 Was a key element to the attacking trio, but his set pieces could certainly do with some practice. Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Dele Alli – 7 out of 10 He exploited Fulham’s high defensive line and made a nuisance of himself all day long. Surprised that he did not make it onto the score sheet. AFP/Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Son Heung-min – 5 out 10 Went missing at times and continued to over complicate moves when he was in possession. AFP/Getty Images Fulham vs Tottenham player ratings Harry Kane – 9 out of 10 The hat-trick hero sunk his opponents with three clever finishes. He oozed confidence throughout and continued to test Bettinelli throughout. Getty Images

Spurs lost 2-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea that day, two years ago next week, but Vertonghen said that Spurs have developed much further since then. “It’s only two years but we have improved a lot, we’ve got stronger,” Vertonghen said. “The gaffer has had time to work with us and we understand the way he wants us to play. We are a lot stronger than then and we have shown that in the last couple of years.”

Vertonghen believes Spurs need to win a trophy this season to continue their development (Getty)

Now that Vertonghen is back Spurs have a better chance, allowing them to rotate in defence and giving the option, when Danny Rose returns, of going back to the 3-5-2 system with which Spurs have played their best football. Vertonghen was feared to be out for eight or even 10 weeks when he turned his ankle last month, but was in fact back after just five weeks. “I’m used to ankle recoveries now and I worked very hard with the medical staff,” he said. “It went very well, I didn’t have any set-backs, so hopefully it will stay like this until the end of the season.”