[ad_pod ]Danny Rose is amongst the latest withdrawals from the England squad that will face Croatia and Spain in the Nations League during the current international break.
How long will he be out for?
It’s yet to be confirmed but Rose has been struggling with a groin injury for some time now, and Tottenham were aware of it before the international break – with Mauricio Pochettino telling the press last weekend that the left-back would need to be assessed by the national team.
“It was the same as it was after Huddersfield, a problem in his groin. He felt it again. Hope that nothing important but of course we need to assess. He needs to go to the national team and see what happened. He needs to check in with the national team.”
He’s now left the squad with what has been described as a ‘minor injury’, so we can only assume that after a going over from England’s medical staff it was decided that the games against Croatia and Spain wouldn’t be worth the risk of further aggravating Rose’s groin complaint or potentially even making it worse.
Premier Injuries still have next weekend, October 20th, as Rose’s expected return date – so he could well be back in action by the time Tottenham travel to West Ham upon the Premier League’s return.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”305269″ player=”12034″ title=”Are Emery’s Arsenal Silently Gunning For The Title”]
Club vs County politics?
“The first responsibility is always the player’s. I think he felt from the beginning a problem but carried on playing. Players always push to play because they want to play.”
Perhaps. Pochettino wasn’t pleased when Dele Alli picked up his current injury during the last international break against Spain but carried on playing. Although his frustrations seem to be directed more towards the attacking midfielder than England’s medical setup, it does feel like there are underlying tensions – perhaps harking back to the World Cup, when Alli and Harry Kane were both kept on the pitch for extensive periods despite clearly suffering from injury and fatigue respectively.
Maybe because the Nations League isn’t being taken so seriously, Rose has been allowed to return to his club rather than asked to push himself in a game that continues to divide opinion in terms of importance. That’s just a theory but Tottenham have made up the biggest contingent of the England team over the last few years, so there’s certainly value in Southgate keeping them onside.
Two Bens get a chance
While we’ve got our cynical hats on, it’s worth noting that Rose only dropped out of the squad after Luke Shaw’s withdrawal was already confirmed. With both battling to be England’s long-term left wing-back, Rose might have took the risk on his fitness to stake a claim for the No.3 berth if Shaw was still involved with the camp. Now, Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell has a chance to prove himself as England’s only natural left-sided defender – he’ll most likely start both games.
At club level, meanwhile, if Rose’s problem proves to persist we could see Ben Davies get the nod at left-back instead when Tottenham make the trip to the London Stadium. It will be a tough and physical game against Spurs’ bitter rivals, so even a slight niggle could end up having a massive impact on performance.
The Welshman too, needs a way back into the side after surprisingly finding himself as second-choice on the most-part this term despite doubts over Rose’s future back in the summer, and his potential chance comes at a perfect time with some big games on the horizon. Spurs face Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal by December 1st – so Davies could put himself in the picture to start those key encounters if he impresses against the Hammers.