According to The Evening Standard, sources at Tottenham are disputing Jose Mourinho’s explanation behind Toby Alderwiereld’s absence from the matchday squad against Newcastle.
Alderweireld and Serge Aurier were not part of the squad that travelled to St James’ Park, with Mourinho opting to keep faith with the same eleven that beat Aston Villa two weeks ago.
Tottenham’s defence looked shaky all game, with Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga both scuffing clearances for Newcastle’s opener.
Failure to deal with a cross into the box once again proved the away side’s undoing for the Magpies’ late equaliser.
When asked about why Aurier and Alderweireld were not in the squad, Mourinho explained after the game that neither player returned from international duty in time to take the COVID-tests and report for training on Thursday.
Mourinho claimed that both players had only reported to training on Saturday. However, The Evening Standard have now revealed through sources at the club that Alderweireld actually reported to Hotspur Way on Wednesday afternoon.
The Belgian is said to have got tested on Wednesday and trained with the squad for the three subsequent days.
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However, the report mentions that Aurier and Steven Bergwijn, who also did not feature in the squad on Sunday, are both thought to have arrived late from international duty.
Mourinho’s remark about Alderweireld is thus said to have created a lot of confusion at the club.
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