Tottenham Hotspur will build a statue of Ange Postecoglou if he guides them to the UEFA Europa League this season, believes Tim Sherwood. The Greek-Australian boss, who arrived in north London at the start of last term, will bid to seal progression to the quarter-finals against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.

Ange Postecoglou accepted lacklustre Tottenham were “nowhere near” the level required after they lost 1-0 at AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie. A comical own goal by Lucas Bergvall in the 18th minute proved enough for AZ to register a first victory over an English club in 12 attempts.

The Tottenham Hotspur boss has been trying to hand the players little parcels of time off after their efforts in recent months

Ange Postecoglou said it is "no coincidence" that his side are improving now they have some key players back from injury, following their win over AZ Alkmaar.

Ange Postecoglou has backed his Tottenham squad to continue to shut out outside noise after they made a “significant step” in their quest to salvage this season. Postecoglou masterminded a 3-1 win over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday to send Spurs through to the Europa League quarter-finals and keep their campaign alive.

Tottenham Hotspur have overturned a first-leg defeat to secure progression in the Europa League, with key players making starts after recovering from injuries that have blighted their season - and some fans in the football.