Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has warned his former manager Frank de Boer that he will have to adapt to be a success at Crystal Palace.
De Boer became the first manager to win four consecutive Dutch League titles, with Ajax from the 2010-11 season, but after leaving them he lasted just 14 games at Inter Milan before being sacked last November.
The Dutch legend signed a three-year contract to succeed Sam Allardyce at Selhurst Park in June and he has said the Eagles will aim to replicate Ajax’s success by “dominating” matches playing attractive football.
But Vertonghen, who played under De Boer at Ajax from 2010 to 2012 before moving to Spurs, believes it will be harder for the 47-year-old to adopt his style in England.
"Obviously the leagues are very different - the Premier League is much more competitive than the Dutch league," Vertonghen said.
"I’m not going to say the Dutch league is naive but they all play to win. In the Premier League, you have teams with a different philosophy - sometimes that will be difficult and different.
"But he was here early - he had a pre-season to work in, he will be well prepared. He knows the Premier League, I know that. He has a lot of quality in the team. Palace have a lot of quality players already, particularly up front."
Vertonghen’s Tottenham team-mates Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen also played under De Boer at Ajax - and all three players have been a hit at White Hart Lane.
Daley Blind, of Manchester United, and Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg are among De Boer’s other former chargers to impress in the Premier League but Vertonghen believes the coach’s success at preparing players for English football will not necessarily translate to the dugout.
"That’s not a guarantee of success," the Belgian added.
"I know he follows me, Christian and Toby. And not just against the top teams.
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"He’s one of those guys who watches every game he can. He will know how the Premier League is and how difficult it is. But it’s a great challenge for him."
Like De Boer, Vertonghen’s current manager Mauricio Pochettino is a former centre-back and the Belgian credits the pair for his development.
"I’ve learned a lot from both of them, on and off the pitch," he said. "They were both leaders, both captains during their careers - great leaders then and great managers now.
"I’m blessed that I could learn from them in the probably most important years of my career. I have to thank them for this."
He added: "Last season was definitely my best at Spurs.
"At Ajax, I had a couple of good years as well but it’s hard to compare, obviously. On a high level, definitely.
"I had the first year [here] as well, when I scored goals but in the way I performed, I’m very happy and as I said I have to thank the manager for that."
