Rose a major doubt for Chelsea semi

DANNY ROSE is losing his battle to be fit for Tottenham’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea next month. The England defender suffered a medial knee ligament injury against Sunderland on January 31 and has still not returned to full training. Rose is continuing his rehabilitation by training away from the first team and the defender faces an uphill battle to be fit in time for the clash against Chelsea on April 22. Rose visited a specialist on Thursday as the club seek to resolve the problem. Manager Mauricio Pochettino remains hopeful the player will return before the end of the season. The Argentine is more upbeat over Harry Kane’s recovery. The striker returned to training on grass this week and is ahead of schedule. Spurs hope he will be able to play a part in the game against Chelsea. ‘Harry is doing well,’ said Pochettino. ‘It won’t be long until he is available.’ Pochettino also responded to speculation linking Eric Dier with a move to Manchester United by reminding the player of the progress he has made under his guidance. Pochettino said: ‘We signed him as a player with potential. We provide all the tools to be a Premier League player playing well. That first season, he played like a centre back but never as a midfielder. In that summer, we were looking for a midfielder but I decided to play him in midfield. I created a system that he felt comfortable in. ‘But we had some injuries and Eric was the perfect player to play as a centre back. It is good he does well in different positions.’ Meanwhile, Pochettino insists he will never manage Barcelona because he ‘loves’ the club’s city rivals Espanyol. He has been linked to the Catalan giants after Luis Enrique recently announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season. Pochettino, 45, said: ‘I’m an Espanyol supporter and I am loyal. l love Espanyol.’