Jermaine Jenas thought Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to leave Jan Vertonghen out of their Premier League opener was ‘very strange’.
Tottenham Hotspur ex-player and BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas has expressed his concern over Jan Vertonghen’s future at Spurs, citing the situation in which the Belgian was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for their Premier League opener.
The 32-year-old was a shock omission from the Spurs squad that defeated Aston Villa 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Arena last week, with centre-backs Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez preferred at the back.
Vertonghen was reportedly unhappy to have been left out of Tottenham’s season-opener, The Times reported, claiming it was a tactical decision from Pochettino, while The Mail suggesting that the £11.2million signing (Transfermarkt) was omitted due to poor fitness.
On Thursday, Spurs shared photos from the training ground, led with a picture of Vertonghen smiling, and included the caption “positive vibes”, which would appear to be a case of the club putting out a subtle message suggesting nothing’s wrong:
However, Jenas wrote in BBC Sport in an article published on Friday: “You have the situation with Vertonghen being left out of the squad completely on Saturday, which was very strange. Reading between the lines, it would not surprise me if he left in the next couple of weeks.
“Even if Vertonghen stays for now, he and Alderweireld are both into the final year of their contracts, and both over 30. They have been mainstays of the club for several seasons now but there is a chance neither of them will still be there this time next year. So, this is a process that doesn’t stop and, come January, Spurs need to have a plan.”
Spurs return to action against Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday, the Lilywhites facing the domestic treble winners at the Etihad Stadium.
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