The Tottenham Hotspur ace was rested today for his side’s game at Stoke.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino addressed the media in the aftermath of his side’s win away at Stoke City today, and responded to questions asking him why he chose to omit Kieran Trippier from the match-day squad, as quoted by Football.London.
The 27-year-old joined Spurs from Burnley in the summer of 2015, for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £3.5 million, but he has only become a first-team regular over the past eight months, following Kyle Walker’s switch to Manchester City in the summer.
Trippier has proven to be a real asset to Pochettino’s side this season, with many Tottenham fans championing the former Burnley man for a starting spot in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for the World Cup in Russia this summer.
The Argentine chose not to name the right-back as part of his squad that he took to Stoke today, however.
The Spurs boss spoke to reporters after his side’s win at the BET 365 Stadium today, and explained his reasoning behind omitting Trippier, as quoted by Football.London:
“In the case of Kieran Trippier, he played two games in the international break with England and was overloaded and was a little bit tired. We cannot take a risk. He’s okay, he’s fit and everything but if in this type of situation we can look to avoid taking risks and we have players like Serge Aurier, who is working hard, why not give him the possibility. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t happy with Kieran.”
Next up for the Lilywhites is Manchester City at home next weekend, and the 27-year-old will be hoping for an immediate recall to the starting XI, although with someone of Aurier’s quality standing in his way, that will be no easy task.
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