Pochettino ready to call Alderweireld’s bluff

Mauricio Pochettino has given the biggest hint yet that Tottenham are ready to call Toby Alderweireld’s bluff as he continues to stall on contract negotiations.

The centre-back is again a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace having pulled out of a header in training on Thursday and missed Friday’s session as the result of an injury to a slightly different area of his same problem right leg.

Alderweireld is looking for one final payday of around three-times his current deal but Tottenham are refusing to be held to ransom all the time that Jan Vertonghen, 30, continues to develop a sound and nurturing partnership with developing with 21-year-old Davinson Sanchez.

And it is one that Pochettino sees lasting up to another decade.

“They have a fantastic partnership,” said Pochettino . “Davinson has pace and energy, he is so fast, but he still needs to improve in different aspects and Jan is the perfect partner to help him to achieve all that we believe he can achieve.

“And he is an athlete – he could play until he is 40 because his physical condition comes very naturally to him. He is like my new dog, a Rhodesian ridgeback.”

Roy Hodgson has warned Crystal Palace fans they will not see the best of their team for at least another two weeks as they face a survival programme with 12 injuries to senior players, seven of which are first team regulars.

He said: “My target has to be to look forward to a full Palace squad, but until that day we will have to get by as best we can, it will be at least two weeks before that happens.”

(Express)

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