Mauricio Pochettino says it is “impossible” for Dele Alli to face Chelsea, but the Tottenham midfielder is “doing well” with his recovery. Dele has been out of action with a hamstring injury since January 20. He was substituted against Fulham late on and has been sidelined ever since – missing seven games in the league, Europe and domestic cups. He’s currently doing on-pitch rehabilitation.
Spurs have coped relatively well in his absence, winning three of their last four Premier League games and beating Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash, but it’s unknown how much longer they’ll have to fare without him. He’s expected back in March, but Pochettino says that Dele might not return for a number of weeks.
The Tottenham manager said in his pre-match press conference: “We need to assess him day by day. He’s doing well but we cannot say he’s going to be available for this weekend or for next week against Borussia Dortmund (March 5) or Southampton (March 9). We hope he can be available as soon as possible. For sure, tomorrow is impossible, then we’ll see.”
Dele has made 25 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring and creating 11 goals. The 22-year-old suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign which kept him out of action for most of September and October. Pochettino has relied upon Christian Eriksen, Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks in midfield but will relish having the English international available.
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