Danny Rose thanks Mauricio Pochettino for Tottenham reintegration after criticising club in summer

Rose has had to watch Ben Davies flourish at left-back in his absence

Danny Rose gave a highly controversial interview in the summer (Getty)

Danny Rose has hailed the role of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino in integrating him back into the Tottenham Hotspur team following his lengthy absence.

Rose has just returned after 10 months out with a knee injury, during which time he agitated for a transfer in August, criticising aspects of club policy. But Rose is now back in the fold, and started in Spurs’ 1-0 defeat of Crystal Palace FC on Sunday. After that game he said that the summer’s ructions had been “forgotten” and said that Pochettino had been “class” in bringing him back into the team.

Most notably, Rose was brought on for the final 10 minutes of Spurs’ 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in late October, a high-profile return that meant a lot to the England left-back.

“I thought him putting me on against Real Madrid, even though it was only for 10 minutes, was a class act on his part,” Rose said. “Making me feel part of it again, even though he didn’t need to bring me on. As far as I’m concerned me and the gaffer are great and as long as we’ve both got the same goals, which is to win a trophy for Tottenham, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

Although Rose controversially criticised Spurs’ transfer and wage policies in the summer, his relationship with Pochettino is now repaired, as he explained on Sunday night.

“Me and the gaffer are fine,” he said. “We speak most days. The last three years, the lads will tell you I am the one in his office the most, speaking to him and going through videos and sharing text messages. Even going round his house. Me and the manager are fine. He has been great at integrating me back into the team and getting me some minutes.”

Rose made his first start on Saturday (Getty)

That is why Rose is keen to put all the drama of the summer behind him, regardless of what may happen in the summer.

“For my part, it is forgotten,” he said. “I think it is forgotten on the club’s point as well. There is no point dwelling in the past. If we want to take the club forward and go that one stage further and win the league and go as far as possible in the Champions League. On my part, it is all forgotten about and I am just concentrating on the job in hand: helping Tottenham.”

Rose had not played for Spurs since late January, when he damaged knee ligaments. He was expected to be out for four months but did not have surgery and when he was not fully healed, had the clean-up operation at the end of last season, meaning that he was out for another four months.

He has now missed most of 2017 and revealed just how difficult he has found it. “It has been too long,” Rose said after his first Premier League start. “It has been hard mentally watching the team do well over the last nine or 10 months. I am just grateful that I am back part of it.”

“There are literally no words to describe how frustrating it has been – especially last season, seeing the football the lads were playing and how close they went to catching Chelsea. Even this season, sitting on the bench against Real Madrid – that wasn’t nice. It is nice that we won, but it is not nice when you want to be part of it.

“I am just glad that I managed to play [against Crystal Palace], came through without any injuries, kept a clean sheet and it is nice we could go and watch the games later in the afternoon knowing somebody was going to drop points.”