- Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino said Danny Rose wasn’t ready to play Arsenal
- It is also not clear whether Rose will be in the side that travels to Germany
- Spurs will aim to bounce back from their defeat to Arsenal at the weekend
- They play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night
Mauricio Pochettino has hit out at suggestions of a rift with Danny Rose, calling the stories ‘opportunistic’.
But the Tottenham manager refused to say whether Rose will be back in his squad for Tuesday’s match with Borussia Dortmund – after leaving him out of the squad against Arsenal.
Rose stayed back to train on Saturday, Pochettino saying he was not ready for the game – despite starting England’s international with Brazil this week.
Mauricio Pochettino has refused to say whether Danny Rose will play Borussia Dortmund
Pochettino was in a tetchy mood following Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal
And this immediately sparked speculation that Rose would be the next to leave the club, following his outspoken attack, earlier in the season, on Daniel Levy’s refusal to match the best Premier League wages.
But, after the 2-0 defeat to rivals Arsenal, a tetchy Pochettino insisted there had been no fall-out with Rose – and rejected the idea his absence was anything more sinister than a simple fitness issue.
He insisted: ‘If it had been 2-0 to us, nobody would have asked me about Rose. That is so opportunistic. It is not good. I am not happy about that. You want to try to find a situation. When it is an issue, it is an issue. When it is not an issue, it is not an issue. I am always an honest person. It isn’t true.
Shkrodan Mustafi headed Arsenal in front against Tottenham 10 minutes before half-time
‘We analysed the players, and some were better to play than others and some just needed to train. It is not the same if you are trying to get fit – or you are trying to get full fitness so you can cope with a full 90 minutes. Today, rather than be on the bench, the decision was made to train on the training ground.
‘Erik Lamela was playing on the same pitch to build up his fitness, too. There is no other reason. Danny just needs to build and wait for his opportunity when we believe that he can play. It is important to remember we played without him for ten months. The competition is so tough and to get fit and be ready to cope with the pressure of 90 minutes is so difficult.’
Yet when asked whether Rose will travel to Dortmund, Pochettino was unclear. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Maybe.’
Rose knows he could earn more than his £65,000-a-week by moving away from Tottenham. Manchester United have been monitoring his situation, and could make an offer in the January transfer window.
Rose has been back in training for Spurs as he continues to work on his fitness