Tottenham have a number of players in action during the international break, but there are three stars in particular who could feature prominently, despite recent injury concerns.
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping that England manager Gareth Southgate will go easy on the White Hart Lane quartet selected for the Three Lions for the international matches against Scotland and Spain.
The first of those two matches is a crunch match in World Cup qualifying Group F, with Scotland needing points against their neighbours, who are leading the group. A different challenge awaits against Spain in Tuesday’s friendly, a game some will feel is an unnecessary fixture and risk. A fiery 90 minutes in the first match especially would surprise no one, and with Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker all experiencing injury or fitness problems in recent games, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping those three first teamers, as well as Eric Dier and the clubs others international players, return to North London unscathed.
England’s Harry Kane during training
Kane has of course only just returned from an ankle problem that saw him miss 10 matches, but his importance for Tottenham was underlined with the 23-year-old continuing his goalscoring record against Arsenal. Kane surprised some by playing 73 minutes at the Emirates, but after returning early from his injury, a ‘Battle of Britain’ match will be a risky occasion as he builds up his strength again.
Rose has also struggled with maintaining fitness for much of this early season, having already missed nine games, predominantly with the hamstring injury he suffered on England duty in September. With Ben Davies sitting out this international break with his own injury, Spurs will not want to see Rose play the majority of the two games and risk another problem.
England interim manager Gareth Southgate during training
Walker has played every match in the league, but has been withdrawn early on two occasions, including during the impressive 1-1 draw against Arsenal last weekend. He has sat out both League Cup matches and two of the club’s four Champions League ties (curiously, he featured in both Wembley losses).
Rose and Walker both emerged as England’s first choice fullbacks last season after the strongest campaigns of their career, but the two Yorkshire-born defenders are perhaps victims of the relentless challenge given to them by Pochettino as both attacking and defensive figures in the starting eleven. The Argentine likes to rest both when he can, so will be hoping they, as well as Kane and Eric Dier, are not relied upon too much over the next few days. There would certainly be disappointment if any Spurs men are heavily involved against Spain.
England’s Kyle Walker, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling during training
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