Kieran Trippier has been ruled out of Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Southampton on Saturday, it has been confirmed.
The official Spurs website reported on Thursday that the England international has a gluteal muscle strain and will be sidelined for the second consecutive fixture.
Trippier, 28, did not travel with the Tottenham squad for Tuesday night’s Champions League triumph against Borussia Dortmund in Germany, which secured the club’s passage to the quarter-finals.
OPINION
This is a new blow for Trippier and Tottenham, and means Mauricio Pochettino will be unable to call upon the club’s first-choice right-back once again. This means that Serge Aurier is likely to keep his place in the starting XI, unless the manager turns to rising star Kyle Walker-Peters, who was on the bench against Dortmund in midweek. Trippier’s experience and pedigree will be missed, but fans have made no attempt to hide their criticism of his recent displays, especially in the recent defeat to Chelsea, when his calamitous own goal gifted the hosts their second. The England international has failed to hit anywhere near the heights of last season, or his performances in the World Cup, when his right wing-back role perfectly suited his attacking qualities and lack of defensive rigour. Some have called for Tripper to be sold this summer as part of a major overhaul of the team’s full-back positions.