Mauricio Pochettino left out Serge Aurier in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City despite there being no suggestion from the club that he was injured. The 26-year-old was on the bench in Spurs’ 3-1 win over Aston Villa (August 10) but was left out of the matchday squad a week later and may have an uncertain future at the club.
Aurier made only eight Premier League appearances last season, racking up 563 minutes of football, and has been linked with a move away from the club. The £70k-per-week defender has been the subject of interest from AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, and could be sold before the overseas summer transfer window shuts.
If the Ivorian international left Tottenham, Pochettino would be left with Juan Foyth and Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back while Eric Dier can operate in the role too. Selling Kieran Trippier surprised many, but the Spurs boss clearly feels he has enough options in his stead without shopping in the transfer market for a replacement.
Walker-Peters has been a regular at right-back this season, starting in both Tottenham’s Premier League games. It appears Aurier has a tough task to dethrone him and could be moved on for the right price.