Mauricio Pochettino has ruled Dele Alli out of Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea but will not put a timeline on the midfielder’s return ahead of a crucial run of fixtures.
Spurs travel to Stamford Bridge this week to take on Chelsea, a fixture Alli scored twice in last season, helping the visitors to an impressive 3-1 victory.
The Londoners then face Arsenal at Wembley this weekend, but Pochettino has admitted he is unsure whether Alli will be fit for the north London derby or next week’s Champions League second leg against Borussia Dortmund.
“We need to assess him day by day,” Pochettino said in a press conference via the club’s official website.
“He’s doing well but we cannot say he’s going to be available for this weekend or for next week against Borussia Dortmund (Tuesday 5 March) or Southampton (Saturday 9 March).
“We hope he can be available as soon as possible. For sure, tomorrow is impossible, then we’ll see.”
Tottenham have coped well without Alli for the most part, but last weekend’s disappointing defeat at Burnley increased the need for the full squad to be fit and available.
It was the kind of game where Spurs could have done with Alli’s late runs into the box to break down Burnley’s impenetrable back line.
Hopefully, Chelsea will be more open on Wednesday and Tottenham will be able to take advantage of the Blues without Alli.
