Manchester United target Toby Alderweireld has hit out at Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino over his lack of first-team opportunities last season. Alderweireld has been heavily linked with a summer move away from Tottenham after dropping down the pecking order last season.
The Belgium international fell out of favour under Pochettino after refusing to put pen to paper on a new long-term deal and failed to regain his place in the team after returning from a three-month period on the sidelines through injury. Jose Mourinho has earmarked Alderweireld as a potential transfer target this summer but United are not currently interested in negotiating with Tottenham due to their excessive £75m valuation.
Alderweireld offered a reminder of his quality during Belgium’s 2018 World Cup campaign and is still disgruntled about his lack of playing time last term. “I was very focused on this tournament,” he told Sky Sports. “I wanted to prove something to me, show that the period before the tournament in which I, for whatever reason, did not play, it was unjustified. I wanted to show that I’m still Toby, same as November. I really know nothing [about the future]. In my head, I’m just going back to Tottenham. We’ll see.”
Alderweireld is regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League but Pochettino has placed his faith in 22-year-old Davinson Sanchez, who enjoyed an impressive debut campaign for the north London outfit. No outfielder completed more long balls per Premier League game than Alderweireld last season (7.9)