After struggling in the first six months of his Wolverhampton Wanderers career, Leander Dendoncker has established himself as one of the regulars under Nuno Espírito Santo.
His ability to operate as a centre-back, defensive midfielder and in the heart of the pitch has seen the Wolves manager use him in these three positions last season.
Nuno Espírito Santo, however, has mainly deployed the Belgium international in midfield this campaign.
The former Anderlecht man’s versatility is not only useful for the Premier League side, but also for his national team.
Belgium manager Roberto Martínez has given an interview to Het Laatste Nieuws, and discussed the Wolves player’s progression in recent years.
Martínez is likely to be without Borussia Dortmund’s Alex Witsel for the European championship in the summer. The ex-Everton boss praised Dendoncker when asked if the Wolves man can replace Witsel in the national team.
“It’s February, it’s too early to talk about a replacement for Witsel. But Dendoncker has made tremendous progress in the last four years,” Martínez told HLN.
“He has become a better version of himself in the Premier League. He is the most reliable player in his squad and plays almost every minute. He’s in a great phase of his career.
“Dendoncker is a type of player who allows a coach to play in different ways. He can play in a defence with a back three, he can operate like No.6, [but] his most natural position is No.8, there he has more freedom.
“That flexibility means that he would actually fit into any team. The matches he played with Rode Duivels: Russia at home, Cyprus away, Scotland away, Denmark at home, those were very demanding matches. And he was just impressive.”
Despite the praise, Martínez still expects Dendoncker to further improve his game.
“He’s two years older [since the 2018 World Cup], he’s grown in the Premier League and he also has more responsibility at Wolverhampton. And there is still a wide margin for progression,” the Belgium coach stressed.
