Tottenham fans vote: 91% say Pochettino should play 28-year-old vs Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has key defender Toby Alderweireld ready to feature in Saturday’s North London Derby against Arsenal – with it remaining to be seen whether the Belgian centre-half will start the game at Wembley.

The 28-year-old has been on the sidelines for the last three months with a hamstring injury but returned to action for Spurs in the midweek FA Cup fourth round replay win over Newport County.

Should Poch start Toby Alderweireld tomorrow in the #NLD ? #THFC #COYS

— White Heart Lane (@WHL_COYS) February 9, 2018

With Alderweireld playing the 90 minutes on Wednesday, the Tottenham defender has stated that he is physically ready to face Arsenal should Pochettino call upon him.

While there are surely concerns that bringing the centre-half back into the fray too quickly could provoke an injury relapse, the Spurs fans have had their say on Twitter over the role he should play this weekend.

A poll by White Heart Lane on Twitter returned that 91% of the Tottenham faithful think that Pochettino must have Alderweireld in his starting XI on Saturday.

Spurs have missed the giant Belgian, who is one of the best defenders in the world and a lynchpin and calming influence for the North London side.

Davinson Sanchez has impressed since moving to Tottenham in the summer, but having Alderweireld back in the team, either alongside or instead of the Colombian, would be reassuring for the supporters.

It will be interesting to see Pochettino’s decision, with the Spurs boss noncommittal at the pre-game press conference over the role the Belgian will play.

Alderweireld will surely be assessed closer to kick-off but the signs are there that Tottenham are ready to put their full-strength side out on Saturday.