Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen has claimed that his side "deserve" to win a trophy due to their progress under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Spurs have established themselves as one of the main top-four contenders in the Premier League since Pochettino's arrival, while this season they remain in both the FA Cup and the Europa League.

Pochettino's desire to win a trophy was reflected in his strong starting lineup for Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round clash with Fulham and, having already tasted cup heartbreak at Spurs with defeat in the 2015 League Cup final, Vertonghen is desperate to win silverware for the club.

"He understands the importance of the Europa League and FA Cup. It's good that we take it very seriously: we want to win both and compete in the league as well, and our team is fit enough to cope with these things," he told reporters.

"We played the final against Chelsea at Wembley a couple of years ago and we want more of that. I won silverware at Ajax and it's the best thing there is in football. This team deserve a trophy.

"We improved a lot. That's only a year-and-a-half, two years ago, but we've improved a lot as a team. We're stronger, the gaffer's had his time to work with us; we understand the way he wants us to play."

Spurs will look to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Gent in the second leg of their Europa League last-32 clash at Wembley on Thursday.