Mauricio Pochettino defends Tottenham's cautious approach over Toby Alderweireld’s first-team return

The Belgian is a doubt for Juventus next week and will miss the FA Cup replay with Rochdale

The defender hobbled off during Tottenham's 3-1 win over European champions Real Madrid (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino has defended his cautious approach over re-integrating Toby Alderweireld into the Tottenham Hotspur team, warning that people need to be realistic about the Belgian’s recovery from a three-month absence and that it will take longer than they expect.

Alderweireld tore a hamstring playing against Real Madrid on 1 November and did not return until 7 February. Although Alderweireld played against Newport County and Rochdale in the FA Cup, Pochettino did not think him fit enough for Spurs’ more demanding games, and he then suffered another minor hamstring injury. He will not play the replay against Rochdale in Wednesday night, not against Huddersfield on Saturday, and is a doubt for Juventus next week too.

“He is still recovering, he is not participating with the group,” Pochettino explained at his Tuesday afternoon press conference. “The answer is clear.”

Alderweireld thought himself ready after making his first return, before he was not part of the squad for the Arsenal or Juventus games immediately after his comeback. But Pochettino said that his job meant being cautious with returning players and making unpopular decisions, even if that meant frustrating players and fans or being “the bad guy” by not picking a popular player.

“Sometimes people create an expectation,” Pochettino explained. “And then we are the bad guys, when we say ‘no, no, no, you cannot play’ or we start to build your fitness step-by-step. It's our responsibility, but it's impossible to explain everything. It's just to be careful about the player because we want Toby 100 per cent, ready to play.”

“We don't take our decisions based on public opinion,” Pochettino explained. “We are professional and when we take a decision, it's because we have assessed and analysed, we have thought 100 times to try to take the best decision for the team and for the player.”

Jan Vertonghen is also missing with an ankle knock but Pochettino explained that it was far quicker to return a player to the first team after a minor injury than a major one. Which is why Alderweireld cannot be rushed back, but Vertonghen will play as soon as he is fit again.

“We understand that football is like this,” Pochettino said. “Sometimes, we are confused about what it means to be fit. You need to analyse. Before, you asked me about Jan Vertonghen and [Toby]. It's not the same.

“To twist or receive a knock in your ankle, the moment that the pain disappears, you can play. It's not a problem. But when you tear a muscle [as Alderweireld did], after you are fit, but fit to participate in training. And then, it's to be fit to play, and then [be fit] to compete. It's a different process and sometimes it's longer, depending on the injury.”