Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino insists that it is important to have players returning from injury ahead of a difficult schedule coming up in the next few months.
Spurs were without the services of crucial first team players in the form of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele during their Champions League clash against Barcelona.
They were handed another blow when Danny Rose had to withdraw from the England squad during the international break due to a groin problem.
Tottenham’s lack of interest in strengthening the squad over the course of the summer transfer window seemed to have come back to haunt them, but they have been boosted by the news of the returns of Eriksen and Dembele.
Both midfielders have resumed training with the first team, while Alli and Rose are expected to get back to training in a week or so, with only Vertonghen ruled out at least until December.
Pochettino admitted that it is important to have some of their important players returning to action ahead of a busy schedule coming up in the next few months.
“It was a good time for us because we are going to recover a few players like Christian and Mousa Dembele”, Pochettino said in a press conference ahead of the meeting with West Ham on Saturday.
“Still maybe 10 days more for Dele Alli and Danny Rose is the same, one week more.
"Jan Vertonghen is a little bit longer.
“But the most important thing is that we start to recover players.
"It will be a tough month of competition for us.
“There are a lot of games ahead and it’s so important to have nearly all the squad fit to compete and play and to give options to rotate and share the games because it will be tough, the months we have ahead.
“We have seven games in one month, in four weeks, and it’s so important to have all fit to compete and to give the level that we want.”
Following the meeting with West Ham, Tottenham play PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League before entertaining Manchester City in the Premier League.
