Football
Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham Correspondent 6y

Tottenham's Dele Alli out of England friendlies; Harry Winks a doubt

LONDON -- Tottenham's Dele Alli will miss England's friendlies against Germany and Brazil with a hamstring problem, while fellow Spurs midfielder Harry Winks is also a doubt for the upcoming internationals after twisting his ankle in Tottenham's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, according to Mauricio Pochettino.

Alli missed Sunday's win at Wembley while Winks, 21, went down clutching his ankle in the first half at Wembley and he was replaced by Mousa Dembele at the interval.

"[Winks] twisted his ankle in the first half. It's a little bit painful now," Spurs manager Pochettino said afterwards. "We must assess him with our medical staff and with the national team medical staff too. He's so excited to play for the national team. Be sure he's going to meet them. I don't know [if he can play]. Now it's about him and both [sets of] medical staff."

Alli has already withdrawn from Gareth Southgate's squad for Friday's match against Germany at Wembley and Brazil's visit four days later.

But Pochettino is confident Alli will be fit to face Arsenal in the north London derby on Nov. 18 and he said Harry Kane's withdrawal on 75 minutes against Palace was a precaution.

"Dele Alli against Manchester United finished the game feeling his posterior tendon, close to the hamstring, and then played 90 minutes against Real Madrid," Pochettino said.

"It's a very, very, very small thing. It was a massive risk [to play him] again today. We're sure he'll be ready for Arsenal. We hope he's going well in the next few weeks and will be available."

On Kane, he added: "He was out because we wanted after 75 minutes to protect him, the last game against Real Madrid, in the condition he played it, was an emotional game, it's always better to avoid a risk. He's OK, he's going with the national team.

"The most important is to be sure the England national team or different countries understand the situation of our players," added Pochettino, who admitted that Danny Rose -- also part of Southgate's squad -- was still not at his best after he started for the first time since January.

"The Christmas period is so tough for the players. You cannot do too much, only have good communication and a good relationship with the national team and explain the situation with everyone and trust they will manage them in a good way."

Pochettino confirmed that No.2 goalkeeper Michel Vorm had missed Palace with a knee injury sustained at training on Saturday but said debutant Paulo Gazzaniga, who made a number of saves to deny the Premier League's bottom club, was "fantastic."

Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: "We need points. I'd have settled for playing worse than we played and having some good fortune -- a deflection past the goalkeeper, a penalty that wasn't a penalty. I'd settle for that rather than people suggesting we deserved a bit more than we actually got. In football, you get what you get."

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