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Jose Mourinho involved in row with Danny Rose at training ground? Tottenham boss gives clear answer
Mourinho said Rose was left out at the weekend due to a back injury, with young centre half Japhet Tanganga filling in at left back at Vicarage Road.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has played down reports of a training ground row with Danny Rose after the full back was left out of Saturday’s goalless draw against Watford in the Premier League. The Daily Mail reported Rose sought an explanation from Mourinho after he was unhappy at being left out of the squad for both the 2-1 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round replay last week and then for the Watford match.
“A disagreement between me and Danny? No,” Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday. “My relationship with my players is good and I love to work with my group. And that’s it.” Mourinho said Rose was left out at the weekend due to a back injury, with young centre half Japhet Tanganga filling in at left back at Vicarage Road.
“The reason why he wasn’t selected against Middlesbrough is because we have a young left back that we want to develop and it was a great opportunity to play (Ryan) Sessegnon,” he added. “Also because his (Rose’s) performance against Liverpool was not phenomenal.
“Then on the Thursday... I got a call from my medical staff saying Danny was calling them with a problem in his back and he wouldn’t train the next day. “It was a bit of a surprise that on the Friday he was ready to train, but even so I decided then to play with Tanganga and have Ryan on the bench. That is the situation.”
Mourinho also said Inter Milan target Christian Eriksen has not played his last match for Spurs and that the Danish playmaker will be in the squad for Wednesday’s match against Norwich City.
The Portuguese coach will also welcome back club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele, who has not played since the defeat by Southampton on New Year’s Day due to a hip problem.
“I am confident (he can have a run of games) but let’s see,” Mourinho said.
“We know what he can give to the team. If I focus on the few minutes or matches that he played for us I saw qualities that are very important for a team to play like we do.” Spurs, currently eighth in the standings, are without a win in their last four league matches.
