Tottenham right to be cautious with Alderweireld

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez says Mauricio Pochettino was right not to rush Toby Alderweireld back following his three-month injury lay-off.

Toby made his return from a serious hamstring injury in our 2-0 FA Cup fourth-round replay win over Newport County on the 7th of February but was subsequently left out of the 1-0 North London derby win over Arsenal on the 10th February and our 2-2 Champions League draw with Juventus in Turin on the 13th of February.

He did play the full 90 minutes of Spurs’ 2-2 FA Cup draw at Rochdale on Sunday, and Martinez said Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has made the right decision in limiting the centre-back’s workload after three months on the sidelines.

“I have recently had a good conversation with Toby Alderweireld,” Martinez told Het Laatste Nieuws.
“I’m happy that Spurs take their time and don’t rush him back. But of course Toby would have liked to have played against Juventus. His situation will need time.”

Toby has been in talks with Spurs over a new contract for more than a year, but his current deal contains a £25million release clause that could be activated in the summer of 2019 with Tottenham keen to tie down the former Ajax Amsterdam and Atletico Madrid defender on a new long-term contract, but Martinez insists the player has not been affected by the speculation surrounding his future.

“Toby has become one of the most consistent defenders in the Premier League,”:the former Wigan and Everton boss continued.It’s normal that his situation draws a lot of attention, certainly when he’s nearing the end of his contract. But I think that he’ll end this season in top shape.”

Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Related Topics

Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know