Jan Vertonghen did not feature for Tottenham Hotspur against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Vertonghen was not part of the Tottenham matchday squad against Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening.
The 32-year-old defender is not injured at the moment, and his exclusion from the squad must have come as a surprise to Spurs fans.
Tottenham boss Pochettino has explained his decision regarding the Belgium international central defender.
BBC Sport quotes Pochettino as saying about Vertonghen: “With all the players fit you struggle to find a starting XI.”
Pochettino added: “This is my sixth season, I think everyone knows me. I am going to play the players who I believe deserve to play.
“There is not any issue, only my decision was to play with Toby and Davinson. We have more than 25 players and everyone needs to understand we have plenty of good players in every position.”
Planning for the future?
Vertonghen is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, but there is no escaping the fact that he is 32 years of age.
Spurs do have a couple of very good defenders in Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld, and perhaps the North London outfit are planning for life after Vertonghen.
After all, the Belgian is out of contract at Spurs next summer, and the North London outfit may not offer a new deal to a player in his mid-30s.
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