LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino is confident he has a like-for-like replacement for Jan Vertonghen in Kevin Wimmer, after confirming the Belgian could miss two months of the season.
Vertonghen was replaced by Wimmer -- making his Premier League debut -- in the second half of last weekend's 3-1 win at Crystal Palace after he fell awkwardly following an elbow to the face from Palace's Connor Wickham.
The 28-year-old has started every Premier League match this season but Pochettino confirmed he could be out until March after scans revealed damage to his medial knee ligament.
With Eric Dier influential at holding midfielder and Federico Fazio on the fringes of the squad, Wimmer is set for an extended run in the team, having previously started just five times in the Europa League and domestic cups since signing from FC Koln in the summer.
Pochettino, who earlier said 18-year-old Cameron Carter-Vickers could also provide defensive cover, has been impressed with Vertonghen's deputy.
"He is like Vertonghen but younger," the Spurs head coach told a news conference.
"You can see he [Wimmer] is very calm, he has a very good left foot. He is very strong, a nice person. He has a lot of attributes. He is very young and for that we signed him.
"We are sure that Kevin can do well. He had the possibility to play in different games -- maybe not as much as he expected -- and he was good. He showed the quality and his teammates trust him."
Earlier this month, Wimmer was linked with a loan move in order to boost his chances of being included in Austria's Euro 2016 squad, but he has never publicly expressed dismay at a lack of minutes at Spurs.
Pochettino added: "When we sign players, we always explain what we expect from them and the rules of the squad and the team. It's normal that you're disappointed when you don't play but I think things are very clear."
The Spurs coach faced criticism after rotating his squad for the League Cup third-round defeat to Arsenal in September, but he is expected to continue his policy of fielding fringe players in the FA Cup for Saturday's visit to Colchester in the fourth round.
The Argentine believes Vertonghen's injury justifies his decision to give opportunities to the whole of Tottenham's squad.
"You never know when a problem will arrive and maybe a player who hasn't played too much will be a key player to achieve big things. I understand why the media, ask me, 'Why rotate?' and 'Why not play with a strong team?'
"But it's always important to speak about a squad because if something happens in the future and you have the last five games in the Premier League and the possibility to achieve big things, maybe you need the help of the players that haven't played too much. You need to show respect. If they deserve to play, you need to give them that possibility. Like in this moment."