The Tottenham Hotspur defender earned a 10-minute cameo in midweek.
Danny Rose has told The Evening Standard that he did not expect to feature in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in the Champions League this week.
Spurs proved that they are indeed the real deal by securing a hard-fought point away to the reigning European champions on Tuesday night.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino surprised fans a day before kickoff by bringing fit-again Rose on the flight to Madrid, despite the left-back not kicking a ball since January due to injury.
And the 27-year-old announced his return to first-team action with a 10-minute cameo in the Santiago Bernabeu, replacing striker Fernando Llorente in the final quarter.
And speaking to The Standard, the England left-back, who incurred the wrath of Tottenham fans during the summer for an explosive interview in which he criticised a number of different policies at the North London club, admits that he expected to be watching the game from his living room rather than playing in it.
He said: “I did well in training on Sunday and I got in the changing room and was getting ready to have a shower.
“The manager called me upstairs and said: ‘You’re doing well, do you think you could do 10, 15 minutes in Madrid?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course, no problem.’
“It’s just been an unexpected couple of days because I thought I would be watching the game on TV at home. It’s amazing he put me on in midfield as well. It’s been a frustrating period but this last couple of days has made it all worth it.”
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