Tottenham Hotspur versatile player Jan Vertonghen is pleased that Tim Sherwood has restored him to his preferred role in the centre of defence.

The Belgian international was often forced to play at left-back under former Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas, partially due to an injury to Danny Rose.

He was sidelined with an ankle problem when Sherwood first took charge in December, but upon his return to the side, Vertonghen has immediately been inserted at the heart of Tottenham's defence, which he has taken as a sign of his new manager's confidence in him.

"I'm very happy," the Belgian told the Tottenham Journal. "Tim uses me as a centre-back. He believes in me in that position, he says that and I feel the confidence as well. Especially when you're coming back from injury, you don't want to play out of position.

"If you come back and you're a little bit insecure, you want to play in your best position and that's what he's done. It's been a strange season because it's been my first time injured, then the manager left and I wasn't fit while Tim was coming in.

"I talked with him a couple of times before and that was good. He knows me and he knows the club, he knows me as a player and he knows what I can do but still you want to show it in training. I came back and I was fit and he played me - I think that shows the confidence."

Vertonghen has made 23 appearances for Spurs in all competitions this season, scoring once in the process.