Sherwood backs Bentaleb for French World Cup squad

Tottenham coach Tim Sherwood believes midfielder Nabil Bentaleb could be a shock inclusion in France’s FIFA World Cup squad.

The 19-year-old has caught the eye with a series of assured performances since making his top-flight debut as a substitute at Southampton last month, and has made five Premier League appearances in total.

His inclusion in the first-team has coincided in an upturn in results at White Hart Lane, with four straight victories reinvigorating Tottenham’s hopes of a UEFA Champions League spot and the club sit outside the top four only by virtue of goal difference.

And Sherwood sees no reason why Bentaleb cannot force his way into Didier Deschamps’ plans for France at the World Cup beginning in Brazil later this year.

“If he carries on the way he is at the moment he’ll be knocking at the door for the French World Cup squad,” Sherwood said.

“He was in the wilderness. The French would have had to come and scout our Under-21s before, but now he’s not in the wilderness and everyone is starting to know about him.

“I haven’t had a close look at who the French have got (in that position), but Nabil is a good player.”

Bentaleb’s latest outing came in Tottenham’s 3-1 victory at Swansea City on Sunday, with an Emmanuel Adebayor brace and an own goal from Chico Flores securing the points for the visitors, before Wilfried Bony notched a late consolation for the hosts.