Tottenham Hotspur winger-cum-attacking midfielder Nacer Chadli is expected to play for Belgium against France on Sunday. The 25-year-old has had a good campaign for Spurs, but in the star studded Belgian squad, he finds hard to break into the first team and used mostly as a substitute.
Ahead of the match, Chadli gave an interview to L’Equipe, where he spoke about his Spurs team mates Eden Hazard and Hugo Lloris and reflected on his own performance this season.
Lloris’s future has under intense speculation this season. If the media reports are to be believed, Manchester United are planning to sign him to replace David de Gea, who is attracting interests from Real Madrid.
He wants regular Champions League football and at 28 the time is ideal for him to make a move to a bigger club. Lloris is a key player for Spurs and Chadli believes the French keeper will stay at the club in the summer.
When asked to comment on whether Lloris will stay at Tottenham, Chadli replied:
“He’s a great player. I love him a lot, as a captain. On the pitch, he has nothing left to prove, he’s one of the best keepers in the world. I think he will stay. The club is ambitious and wants to finish top 4 in the league. I hope they manage to hold on to him.”
Chadli will play under a new captain, Eden Hazard, this weekend, with Vincent Kompany being ruled out through suspension. The French winger believes Hazard, the PFA Player of the Year winner, has progressed a lot under Jose Mourinho this season and he is already a leader on the pitch.
He added: “Eden has progressed a lot level-wise and mentally in these past two years. We see a lot of differences this year, especially with Mourinho. That will help him grow as a player. He can do it. He’s already a leader on the pitch. Outside the pitch, he can do it as well.”
Chadli reflected on his own performances this season for Spurs where he scored 11 goals for the North London outfit.
“The season went great. It was much better than my first season, where I was regularly injured. This year, I managed to play consistently without injuries; that helped my confidence, which led to my good form.
For Belgium, I always do my best even if I’m often not a starter. When a player is missing it’s often who gets the nod. I hope I can play more often to become an undisputed starter.”
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