Injured Alli to miss start of Spurs’ Premier League season
LONDON: Totenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli looks certain to miss the start of the Premier League season ater a hamstring injury ruled him out of his side’s penalty shootout defeat by Inter Milan in their final pre-season friendly on Sunday.
Lucas Moura fired Toteham ahead with two minutes on the clock ater good work by Erik Lamela but Antonio Conte’s Inter levelled before the break when Ivan Perisic released Stefano Sensi to beat Hugo Lloris from close range.
The main talking point was news of Alli’s injury which will further deplete Totenham manager Mauricio Pochetino’s resources heading into the start of the campaign.
“I don’t think he will be ready for the new season,” said Pochetino. It is the same area. Of course we are worried,” he said of the 23-year-old’s latest hamstring injury ater twice being sidelined in similar circumstances last season.
“He has to pay atention to what is going on in his body, but we are here to try to help him. “We think it’s a minor injury and only a few weeks before he can be available again and be with the group.”
Totenham were also without injured defenders Ben Davies (groin) and Serge Aurier (hand) and Juan Foyth (ankle). Foyth is also suspended for the start of the season as is forward Son Heung-min ater they were both red-carded in the penultimate game of last season.
Totenham begin their season at home to Aston Villa next Saturday. Fuelled by the pain of last season’s Champions League final defeat against Liverpool, Totenham manager Pochetino has vowed to take his team to the next level as they bid to win a major trophy for the first time since 2008.
Pochetino was so devastated by his team’s failure to win the Champions League for the first time that he hid away in his Barcelona home for 10 days before finally resurfacing to begin what he hopes will be an ambitious new era for his club.