Mauricio Pochettino has quelled fears about injuries to Tottenham defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian duo missed Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace – Alderweireld suffered a slight recurrence of a hamstring injury while Vertonghen took a heavy knock to his ankle in training.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Pochettino revealed both players should be back sooner rather than later.
The Argentine said Vertonghen will definitely miss Wednesday’s FA Cup replay against Rochdale at Wembley, but he could return for Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Huddersfield.
“Jan yesterday had a scan and it was positive. He feels much better,” said Pochettino (via Ham&High).
Alderweireld’s situation is slightly different: the 28-year-old will be assessed on a daily basis to determine when it is safe for him to play again.
Spurs did well without the pair at Palace, with Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez forming a solid partnership in the heart of the defence.
That said, Vertonghen and Alderweireld are arguably the two best centre-backs in the country, and the sooner they are back the better.
Juan Foyth is likely to play a part against Rochdale after Pochettino suggested there will be plenty of rotation.
[…] The Tottenham boss provided an update on the fitness of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld ahead of the game – read more about that here. […]