Toby Alderweireld has been quoted in the media as saying that his omission from the Tottenham Hotspur side towards the end of the last season was “unjustified.”
The Belgian missed a large chunk of the season after picking up a hamstring injury in the Champions League victory over Real Madrid at Wembley at the start of November and only went on to make three Premier League starts after recovering from the injury in January.
After Tottenham went on an extended unbeaten run in 2018 which spanned 14 Premier League games, Pochettino preferred a central defensive duo of Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez, with Alderweireld left out of the matchday squad on occasions.
Pochettino said in April: “We make a drama sometimes for small things.
“After 14 games unbeaten I’m not going to talk about the player who doesn’t play.
“He was injured for a long time but he is still our player and has two years left on his contract.
“I am sure he will play before the end of the season. He’s doing well, he’s training.
“He just needs to wait for his chance but today there is no point in talking about this situation.”
Alderweireld’s contract situation is the underlying reason for why the defender has had limited playing time. We all know that’s the case.
Alderweireld was quoted today by the Mirror following the conclusion of the World Cup: “I was very focused on this tournament. I wanted to prove something to me, show that the period before the tournament in which I – for whatever reason – did not play, it was unjustified.