Pochettino won't rush Alli back despite Spurs slump

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino will wait until the last minute before deciding whether to bring Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli back from injury for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brighton.

Alli has returned to training after sustaining a hamstring injury on England duty that ruled him out of Tottenham’s last two matches.

In his absence, Tottenham’s losing streak has extended to three games after losses to Liverpool and Inter Milan, the first time the club have suffered such a sequence under Pochettino.

That has piled extra pressure on Pochettino to rush Alli back, but the Tottenham manager is determined not to risk his key midfielder’s long-term fitness.

“We need to wait until Friday to assess him, to see if he’ll be part of the squad,” Pochettino said.

“Thursday was a recovery day for everyone and it’s difficult to judge if he’s ready or not to play.

“We’re never going to put ourselves or our interests in front, taking risks with a player. It’s impossible.

“After four years you know very well we’re never going to put a player at risk because we want to win.

“We need to win and the most important thing is all the players who are going to be on the pitch, we need to feel they’re 100 per cent.”