ROSE TAINTED SPECTACLE

Furious Spurs star hits back at ‘silly’ rumours of rift with Pochettino

DANNY ROSE has hit back at the knee-jerk jury on social media who tried to drive a wedge between him and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

England left-back Rose was forced to come off at Wembley towards the end of Wednesday’s Champions League win against Apoel Nicosia with a gash above his left eye which required five stitches.

Although he wanted to carry on, Pochettino decided it was not worth the risk.

Rose’s disappointment was interpreted by the Twitterati as a falling-out with his head coach – just 11 days after admitting he was “fuming” at being axed for the derby defeat by Arsenal.

But Rose, keen to put the record straight, warned that imaginary rifts generated by outsiders jumping to conclusions was “not welcome” as he scowled: “This is getting silly now.”

Ever since he gave an honest interview on the limitations of Tottenham’s wage structure four months ago, Rose’s long-term future has been in doubt.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is believed to be a fan – but Rose, 27, is adamant that does NOT mean he is at loggerheads with Pochettino. He explained: “The manager said it was best if I came off and I didn’t want to come off. That was it.

“I have seen that people are saying we exchanged words, but there is no issue between me and the manager.

“There has never been an issue – and people trying to put stuff in the media is not welcome.

“For the last three and a half to four years, the manager has been my biggest fan. He has given me nothing but love and respect. There is no issue and never will be an issue. This has got to stop.”

Rose has only completed the full 90 minutes twice since January after a long-term injury battle, while Ben Davies has become Tottenham’s established first-choice left-back.

But Rose is likely to be required during Spurs’ seven games in 26 days over the festive period and he is unlikely to rock the boat when Champions League glory beckons in the new year.

He said: “We don’t fear anybody. We’ve proved in the group stage that we do turn up in the big games – it’s not easy to go to Real Madrid and get a point, and maybe we should have won there at the Bernabeu.

“I hope the big teams left in the draw look at those performances and realise Tottenham are a team to be feared.”