Jan Vertonghen: 'I am not afraid of Andy Carroll'

Jan Vertonghen has insisted that he will not be scared to go up against Andy Carroll when Tottenham Hotspur head to West Ham United on Saturday.

The imposing striker's return from five months out with a groin injury has coincided with a slight upturn in form for the Hammers, who have claimed four points from their last two Premier League games.

Vertonghen, however, is confident that he and his defence can play against any type of attacker and believes that Carroll's physical approach can be successfully thwarted.

"He's a great striker, very difficult to play against but I think our defence have shown we can play against every type of striker so I'm not afraid," Vertonghen told Sky Sports News.

"He's a very big guy. He's a fighter. He's very strong in the air and I think he fits the game that West Ham wants to play.

"Hopefully he can stay fit for a while for West Ham, he's struggled a bit I think on that, but he's a good player and a tough player to play against."

West Ham have got the better of Spurs in this fixture for the last two seasons running.