Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino left centre-back Jan Vertonghen out of his first-team squad against Aston Villa on Saturday due to the player's fitness levels, reportedly wanting to make a 'statement' by leaving the 32-year-old on the sidelines.
Spurs secured a 3-1 win against the Championship play-off winners but it was far from plain sailing for the Lilywhites on matchday one, having to fight back from a goal down thanks to a debut strike from Tanguy Ndombele and a late Harry Kane brace.
Vertonghen was a notable omission on the opening weekend for Tottenham, and despite Pochettino claiming after the match that the Belgium international was left out for tactical reasons, journalist Gary Jacob claims that it was actually a 'statement' from the manager.