Spurs defender ready to give Pochettino a selection headache

I’m sure we all agree that Kieran Trippier’s performances for England in the World Cup have re-enforced Tottenham fan’s thoughts that he should be our number one choice at right-back this season, however, one of his team-mates has different ideas.

With Trippier and the rest of Tottenham’s England World Cup contingent, along with Hugo Lloris given extra time off to recover and were left out of the squad for the USA tour, Serge Aurier is looking to make the most of the opportunity of Tripper’s absence to prove his worth.

Aurier arrived from PSG for £23million with fans having high hopes for the player, but we soon found out that he couldn’t take a throw in and he certainly can be a liability in defence, especially with some of his rash challenges leading to penalties. Just cast your mind back to Juventus away in the Champions League.

‘Now is my time,’ Aurier told the Mail. ‘I have to take my chance. If I play good, the gaffer has a choice. That is football. You push. You don’t stop…for now Trippier is on holiday and this is my moment to take my chance.’

He didn’t cover himself in glory during his first season at Spurs, but is ready to put things right: ‘It was my first season but I am calm,’ he added. ‘I came, I finished third. It was OK. But this season is the not the same. I have a good ambition for the future.’

‘I am happy for Tripps,’ he said. ‘I sent him a message for the semi-final and for the World Cup. I said congratulations for your World Cup. It’s good competition for me. Not bad. Now I am ready.’

Despite experiencing tough times, he feels at home in the Premier League: ‘I like the intensity,’ he said. ‘I like the fans. The English people like football. For me that’s very important. It’s not the same in France. Here you play, I don’t know, against Leicester or Burnley and the stadium is full. For me that’s very important. I like that.

‘For me the difference is very, very big. The French people like football but they don’t have the time to go to the stadium. English people are not the same. I know the Premier League, I know the players, all the people who work in the team. Now I am ready.’

It’s great to hear that Aurier is approaching the new season with hunger and determination, but I would take Trippier as first-choice, every day of the week.