Tottenham latest team news: Mauricio Pochettino confirms Toby Alderweireld is out until the New Year ahead of North London derby against Arsenal
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has confirmed Tottenham's worse fears over Toby Alderweireld's injury were true as the defender was ruled out of action until after Christmas.
The Belgian international was forced off during Spurs' 3-1 victory over Real Madrid on November 1.
The 28-year-old has not featured since that Champions League clash as medics assessed the damaged to his hamstring.
Now his manager has confirmed that the centre-back is set to be sidelined for much longer than first expected.
And he is now aiming to "maybe" return after Christmas.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's North London derby, Pochettino said: "Toby is out. We need to assess him.
"We expect he will be out for longer than we did previously. Maybe [Alderweireld will be back] after Christmas. That is the expectation.
"The injury is in his hamstring. He feels disappointed and a little bit sad but in the same way, he is focused now on trying to recover as soon as possible.
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"He is working hard, he is in the first stages of his rehab.
"Always, with this type of injury, we have to be cautious. We need to wait."
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Pochettino also revealed that Harry Kane returned to training this morning and should be back in action for the trip to Arsenal.
He added: "We need to assess him tomorrow and then see if he can play at the weekend.
"I can't say a percentage, we need to assess him and make the best decision for him and the team.
"Of course he is a great player, so important for us. How he feels about the derbies is very passionate and if he scores again against Arsenal, it is fantastic for him and fantastic for us."
Dele Alli and his fellow England international Harry Winks, who both joined Kane in pulling out of the latest Three Lions squad, were also back in action after hamstring and ankle problems.
