Gary Neville believes Ange Postecoglou deserves to be backed by Tottenham after a promising first season in charge.

Postecoglou’s Spurs were the early-season leaders in the Premier League, but form has been less consistent since the turn of the year and they now sit fifth in the Premier League with Champions League qualification looking unlikely.

The Tottenham manager has been lauded throughout his first season for the braveness with which Spurs play and for his frankness when speaking to the media. However, criticism has come more recently as Tottenham have lost their last four matches.

Neville, speaking about Postecoglou on Sky Sports’ The Gary Neville Podcast, said: “This is a guy to get behind. The last four years have been a real drain at Spurs, honestly. At times, you’ve watched them and thought you know what you’re going to get. But it isn’t Spurs [under Postecoglou].

“Spurs have got a style, a character, a personality as a football club, an arrogance in the way in which they play — and he brings all those things, that confidence in the game. They should invest in that, because Spurs fans are really happy.

“I know they’ve finished fourth at times — they’ve finished second at times in the last six, seven, eight years — but they should be really happy with how they’ve finished fifth.”

Neville added: “Sometimes for a football fan it’s how you finish fifth, how you lose. They’re the really important factors, because you know you’re going to have good times with it as well. You want those highs, and he’s brought highs this season, Ange Postecoglou.”