Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has insisted that Danny Rose is still part of his plans despite the full-back being left out against Watford on Saturday afternoon.
The left-back was also omitted from the squad against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup last week, but Mourinho has denied suggestions that the 29-year-old is out of favour.
Speaking after Saturday's goalless draw with Watford, the Spurs manager explained that a slight injury and the presence of Ismaila Sarr led to Japhet Tanganga starting against the Hornets and Ryan Sessegnon being named on the bench.
"He is part of my plans. Last match, FA Cup match at home, very offensive team. We wanted to give another chance to Sessegnon to play 90 minutes. Today [Rose] had a little injury in his back, yesterday we made a decision to bring only fit players to a match that we knew was going to be physical," Mourinho told reporters.
"We also knew that Sarr is a runner so we needed another runner. The decision [to leave Rose out] was to bring Sessegnon on the bench, a bit of everything."
Rose, who has made 16 appearances during the 2019-20 campaign, will see his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium expire in June 2021.
Matt Law
