Arsene Wenger has hailed Rob Holding who returned to the squad when Shkodran Mustafi picked up his latest injury.

Signed from Bolton for just £2m during the summer, many comparisons have been made between Rob and John Stones, who cost Manchester City £50m.

There can, of course, be no appropriate comparison as one has been a regular starter, featuring 26 times in the Premier League while the other has appeared just four times.

That’s not to say one can’t be made in the near future, especially if Holding continues to impress as he has done lately.

“When we were in the situation where we decided to play him, you must have confidence in him,” Wenger said.

“I believe he has a great future because he’s very intelligent and has a very objective analysis of his own performance.

“The biggest part in the improvement of a player is to be capable of analysing his performance in a very objective way, [be] a little bit harsh, and I think he has that in him.

“He’s very bright about what’s happening and he analyses very well and understands very well. He reads the game very well.”

Wenger wouldn’t confirm if he will use a back three again, this time against Tottenham.

However, given that Holding was rested midweek, Mustafi is still injured and Mertesacker hasn’t played all season, the smart money will be on Rob starting at White Hart Lane – in a back three.