Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has described Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to bench Christian Eriksen on Saturday as ‘strange’.
The Dane found himself named among the substitutes for the Premier League opener against Aston Villa after being a mainstay in the Spurs side for the past five years.
The 27-year-old wasted no time after the Champions League loss to Liverpool in June to reveal he wanted to leave the club while having an interest in joining Real Madrid (Ekstra Bladet).
Phillips disagreed with the Tottenham manager’s call and insisted that he would have started Eriksen and hinted that there could be something going on behind the scenes at the club.
The playmaker’s introduction in the second half proved to be pivotal in Tottenham’s comeback to eventually beat the Premier League newcomers 3-1.
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