Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is "like a father" to his players, midfielder Victor Wanyama has told FourFourTwo.

Wanyama, 25, joined Tottenham from Southampton for £11 million in the summer, reuniting with Pochettino who brought him to St Mary's from Celtic in 2013.

And the Kenya international says his relationship with the former Saints boss played a significant part in his decision to move to Spurs.

"He played a big part in convincing me to join the club," he said. "I had a few options but he was able to convince me to come here because I had worked with him before and know he is a manager who will improve players.

"Also, the club is in the Champions League, and has the chance to do well in the Premier League, too. He said to me that I should come and try to achieve some things with this club, and that they could win trophies.

"Pochettino is a really good person outside football as well as in football. He's like a father figure [to the players], always speaking with everyone and giving them advice. All of the players look up to him as a father figure and also as a manager."

Spurs are currently second in the Premier League table after seven matches and remain the only unbeaten team following their 2-0 win over Manchester City last time out.

Pochettino's side pushed for the title last season, eventually finishing third, and they are being tipped for another challenge after their victory against Pep Guardiola's men.

"I think this club is up there with Celtic. It's a big club and you can feel that in the dressing room," Wanyama said. "We have young players who want to work hard and who are very ambitious, which is a very good thing.

"It's easy to just say we can win the league, but if we work hard then anything is possible. We don't talk about the title as a target. Our target is to improve on last season's position."

Wanyama was initially tipped to act as deputy for Eric Dier in the holding-midfield role, but the only match he has missed so far has been Spurs' sole defeat of the season -- the 2-1 loss to Monaco in the Champions League.

"Every player has his own style, and it's when they all combine that they really help the team," Wanyama said. "My style? I like to win the ball, I like to tackle -- but if I get the chance then I like to bomb forward and try to get goals, too.

"I think I'm well suited to the English game, because getting stuck in is not a problem for me. I'm OK with the physical side of the game.

"The squad here is full of nice people; everyone has been willing to help. There are some big characters here -- Jan Vertonghen, Son [Heung-Min], Ben Davies. They're funny guys. So far it's been great."