Jan Vertonghen wants Tottenham stay for as long as possible, but Spurs' level of play 'demands a lot of your body'
Jan Vertonghen has hinted he is determined to stay at Tottenham past the end of his current contract.
Vertonghen, who joined Spurs from Ajax in 2012, penned fresh terms last week that are set to keep him at White Hart Lane until 2019.
Standard Sport understands Vertonghen's deal contains an option for a further year, which means the defender will be 33 when it expires.
The Belgium international has suggested he is willing to stay put for as long as his body allows him to, but understands the difficult of the task ahead of him.
“It’s very hard to finish your career at this level. It demands a lot of your body," he told a pre-match news conference.
"I will try and do what is possible to stay at this level for as long as I can.
“Not many can play here until 36-37 but I will do my best to stay as long as I can.”
Spurs host CSKA Moscow tomorrow night in their final Champions League group game, having already been eliminated from Europe's primary cup competition.
A Europa League place is still up for grabs and Vertonghen is adamant Spurs can prove their worth in the competition, despite some fans looking on it unfavourably.
“Tottenham is a team that wants to win trophies and compete at the highest level.
"[The] Europa League is a perfect competition to show we want to compete at the highest level. We want to go through the final or as far as we can,” he insisted.