Strength in depth gives Spurs an edge, says Vertonghen

REUTERS - Strength in depth has been the key to Tottenham Hotspur's success in the early part of the season, defender Jan Vertonghen has said.

Tottenham lost influential striker Harry Kane to injury last month but with South Korea's Son Heung-min picking up the scoring slack Spurs are the only team yet to lose in the Premier League this season.

The London club sit third, a point behind leaders Manchester City after eight games.

"I think the squad is as strong as any in the Premier League," Vertonghen told British media. "It's a sign that we can miss anyone and it shows the strength of the team.

"It started with Harry. People said we would miss (goalkeeper) Hugo ( Lloris) and Michel Vorm showed his quality against Liverpool. Eric Dier showed it against Leverkusen."

Spurs, without defenders Toby Alderweireld and Kyle Walker, relied heavily on captain Lloris to earn a point against German side Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Tottenham travel to face 11th-placed Bournemouth in the league on Saturday.

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)