Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen has still not made an appearance so far this season.
Vertonghen has not played for Tottenham at all this season, in what has been a hugely controversial selection decision.
The Belgian defender has been dropped to the bench, with Davinson Sanchez stepping in to fill the void.
Unfortunately for Pochettino has decision has not worked, as Sanchez has looked shaky in Tottenham’s defence.
There are now huge calls for Vertonghen to be re-instated into Tottenham’s team, and the squad are said to be as confused as the fans about his absence.
According to the Independent, there has been no argument between Pochettino and Vertonghen on the training ground – he has just been dropped.
Spurs’s player have reportedly come up with the theory that Vertonghen may have said something in the press that Pochettino didn’t take kindly to and that is the reason for his absence.
However, Vertonghen was one of the few out of contract players at Tottenham to persistently say he wanted to stay with the North London club over the summer, so that may not be likely.
Whatever the reasons for his decision, Pochettino now faces a real dilemma.
Tottenham cannot afford to lose to Arsenal at the weekend otherwise serious questions will be asked, but Vertonghen is now not match sharp.
Whether Vertonghen will be thrown in at the deep end by Pochettino remains to be seen.
But if Sanchez does put in another poor performance in the North London derby, then Spurs fans will be asking serious questions about the choice to leave arguably their best defender out.
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