Tottenham to miss Danny Rose through start of new season
By Ryan Wrenn
Surgery and recovery will preclude Danny Rose’s participation in the start of Tottenham’s 2017/18 season.
Though there were reports over recent weeks that Rose’s return to Tottenham was imminent, it now appears as if the left-back’s hip issue can only be resolved by going under the knife.
According to the Guardian’s report, Rose’s ailment is very similar to the one that has kept Érik Lamela out for the vast majority of the season. The Argentine winger underwent surgery in early April to address the issue, thereby squashing any hopes that he would return this season.
Rose was forced off the pitch in January’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland and, initially, was only expected to miss a handful of weeks. Previous deadlines past though and, when Rose eventually did return to training this month, his hip pain lingered. He consequently has not been named in any of Spurs’ recent squads.
When the England international initially went down, there was a good deal of consternation about how exactly the club would make up for for contribution.
The only option, really, was Ben Davies. The Welshman has understudied for Rose for the last few seasons, but only appeared sporadically as Rose was in such stellar form. Thrust back into the lineup, he was expected to play out of position at wing-back — where Rose thrived following Spurs’ tactical switch.
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It was a rocky road at first, even when Mauricio Pochettino changed formations in part to better suit Davies. His mistakes helped Liverpool earn a win over Spurs in February, and Rose’s return felt further away than ever.
Davies would keep his head down though and ended up persevering. He still lacks Rose’s electric pace, but he’s a fine full-back all the same and even appears to be growing into the wing-back role.
Pochettino can safely rely on Davies through the final two matches of this season and into the beginning of next. Some might call for additional depth to be purchased for the left-back role, but it seems unlikely Pochettino gives in to that kind of pressure. He resisted the temptation when he knew he would be without Mousa Dembélé to start this season, and it can reasonably be assumed he will do the same here.
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Spurs might still have to undergo some adjustment if Kyle Walker actually does walk this summer in search of a better offer. The club would be without both of the two world-class full-backs they began the season with, having to rely on their backups instead. Davies and Kieran Trippier are talented in their own right, but that’s far from the ideal circumstance for Spurs.