Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino admits Danny Rose wasn't fit enough to play in the north London derby defeat by rivals Arsenal

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Mauricio Pochettino insisted that Danny Rose's exclusion from the Tottenham squad for the north London derby was merely a matter of fitness and due to the left back missing nine months with a knee injury.

Rose, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United — and was disciplined by the club for speaking out at the start of the season about being undervalued — trained on Saturday morning rather than feature in the game against Arsenal.

Rose played 89 minutes of Tottenham's last game against Crystal Palace and 71 minutes of the England friendly against Germany, but Spurs manager Pochettino reasoned that after such a long period out, he needs more time to build fitness.

Danny Rose trained on Saturday rather than taking part in the north London derby

The defender is on the comeback trail after spending nine months sidelined with injury

The club said Rose and the manager had discussed the situation and both agreed that it was better to build fitness with a strenuous training session rather than sit on the bench at the Emirates.

Pochettino said: 'He was training today. It's not strange. It would be strange for a player that is fit and playing regularly. 

'But when you are 10 months and 11 months out and then you start to play, then sometimes the better decision is to be training and prepare for the next game. 

Mauricio Pochettino clarified Rose's absence by admitted he wasn't fit enough for the big tie

'Sometimes they need a different type of training to get fit.'

Rose spoke warmly about Pochettino only last week and says that the interview in August, in which he talked about ensuring he got the contract he felt he deserved, had been forgotten.