Mauricio Pochettino says Toby Alderweireld hasn’t travelled to Juventus with the rest of the Tottenham squad because doing so would have “risked his career.”
Alderweireld returned from a long injury lay-off against Newport County in the FA last week, but he was left out of the squad against Arsenal and will play no part in Turin.
“He need to build his fitness, he needs to work hard,” said Pochettino. “To play this type of game, you need to be 200%. We are caring for him.” (Quotes via ESPN‘s Dan Kilpatrick.)
#thfc Poch says him and Jesus had a 2hr conversation with Toby after Liverpool to explain to him he wasn’t fit enough.
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) February 12, 2018
“We are sorry for him because when you miss games like Arsenal or CL, you work a lot to play this type of game. We’re frustrated too. When you’re not playing it’s difficult to accept.”
Alderweireld will get the chance to build his match fitness when Spurs play Rochdale in the FA Cup this weekend.
Hopefully he will be back in contention for more high-intensity games sooner rather than later.
Poch is right, of course. It will take a while for Toby to get back to the level he was at when he was injured. We all hope it will be soon, and perhaps the Rochdale game will help him be ready for the final dozen PL games, they will be so important to us. The EPL requires not just physical fitness but mental, sharp reflexes as well, and that’s what Toby will be tuning up at Rochdale cup tie.
[…] Toby Alderweireld has been left at home to work on his fitness, so Davinson Sanchez will continue to partner Jan Vertonghen at centre-back. […]
Toby lad, you’re the best CB in this league by a mile. From you nothing less than 100% fit is acceptable. Please be patient, work hard, you still have a crucial role to play this season.
[…] Pochettino then explained that Toby Alderweireld has stayed in London to work on his fitness. You can read more about those quotes here. […]