MX23RW : Monday, June 24 12:22:05| >> :120:39298:39298:

Tottenham's Croatia trio could return to face Chelsea

Tottenham's Croatia trio could return to face Chelsea
© Reuters
Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez have been training separately from the squad since returning from South America.

Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo says Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez will be considered for selection against Chelsea.

All three players have been in Croatia for the last 10 days following their decision to defy Premier League rules and travel to South America for World Cup qualifiers.

Lo Celso and Romero travelled to Argentina while Sanchez was in Colombia, meaning they would have had to do a hard quarantine had they come straight back to England.

Giovani Lo Celso, centre, and Argentina
Giovani Lo Celso, centre, and Argentina leave the field after their World Cup qualifier against Brazil was abandoned (Andre Penner/AP)

Instead, they circumvented that by going to Croatia, where rules are relaxed, with Spurs sending out a sports scientist to try to keep them in shape.

They return to England on Saturday morning and will train with the squad in the afternoon, meaning they could be involved in Sunday's London derby.

Nuno said: "They arrive Saturday and they have a training session in the afternoon.

"If they are available and fit, if we consider they will be options, then we must consider them in this moment.

"They are working hard in Croatia with the sports scientist, it's not the same but due to circumstances we have to assess them properly.

"Of course we anticipate the situation to be able to join all the group together in the afternoon."

Davinson Sanchez, centre
Davinson Sanchez, centre, is one of Tottenham's recent absentees (David Davies/PA)

The trio's decision to disobey Premier League rules, after clubs voted not to release players travelling to red list countries last month, has frustrated Nuno, who has been without three key players for the last two games.

"It's something that we must understand when we speak about that," he added.

"We must understand what happened due to restrictions but for us as a group it's been hard.

"It's been hard because absences are always a problem. It requires adaptation but hopefully they return Saturday and we can look forward normally."

Another issue Nuno has had to deal with is the return of Harry Kane to the fold after he was unable to get his summer transfer to Manchester City.

The England captain did not return to training until two days before the season started and he has yet to hit his stride this season.

Nuno says there is much more to come.

"Harry is an amazing player," he said. "His quality, talent. I think he has to improve.

"We are in that process of trying to find the best levels of fitness. His dedication has been huge."

Son Heung-min (calf) and Eric Dier (dead leg) are battling to be fit for the visit of Thomas Tuchel's side.

Neither travelled to France for the Europa Conference League clash with Rennes, where Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura hobbled off.

Nuno was unable to say whether the latter two would be fit on Sunday, while Japhet Tanganga is suspended.

ID:464213:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7390:

Click here for more stories about Davinson Sanchez

Click here for more stories about Tottenham Hotspur

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante lifts the Champions League trophy on May 29, 2021
Read Next:
Tuchel provides Kante fitness update ahead of Spurs clash
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Monday, June 24
 
8pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 25
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Wednesday, June 26
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 29
 
8pm
Sunday, June 30
Monday, July 1
Tuesday, July 2
Friday, July 5
Saturday, July 6
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain22006
2 Italy Italy21013
3 Albania national flag Albania20111
4 Croatia Croatia20111

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
1 England flag England21104
2 Denmark Denmark20202
3 Slovenia Slovenia20202
4 Serbia Serbia20111

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Netherlands Netherlands21104
2 France France21104
3 Austria Austria21013
4 Poland Poland20020

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Romania Romania21013
2 Belgium Belgium21013
3 Slovakia Slovakia21013
4 Ukraine Ukraine21013

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal22006
2 Turkey Turkey21013
3 Czech Republic Czech Republic20111
4 Georgia Georgia20111


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!