Jan Vertonghen has praised the huge strides forward Harry Winks has made since breaking into Tottenham's first team.

Winks made just two senior appearances last season but has developed into a serious option in central midfield for Mauricio Pochettino this term.

The 21-year-old, who signed a new five-year contract at White Hart Lane last week, already has 27 appearances under his belt this season after starting Sunday's 3-0 FA Cup victory over Fulham.

Winks excelled alongside Victor Wanyama at Craven Cottage and could retain his place for the Europa League second-leg against Gent on Thursday night, leaving Vertonghen impressed by the speed of the midfielder's development.

"He had a very good game against Gent [last week's first leg], obviously the result wasn't very good.

"If you see how he improved in the last couple years it is unbelievable," Vertonghen told Spurs TV.

Vertonghen also started against Fulham, which marked his first appearance for Spurs since damaging his ankle ligaments in mid-January.

The Belgian's return is a timely boost for Pochettino, who may now revert to a 3-4-2-1 formation, and Vertonghen is delighted to have slotted back into the side seamlessly.

"At the end I was quite a bit tired but it's good to be back. 90 minutes straight away - I didn't expect it - but it felt good.

"It was a great game to come back. We wanted to get back on track and I think we did very well.

"Everyone was on top of their game - Fulham only had two chances before half time," Vertonghen insisted.