Mauricio Pochettino may now be forced to look elsewhere…
Tottenham Hotspur target Jay Rodriguez has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury, potentially scuppering Spurs’ plans to sign the attacker in January.
Rodriguez excelled under new Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton last season, but ruptured his cruciate ligament in April in a game against Manchester City.
“He had to make a step back in his recovery,” the BBC quote new Southampton manager Ronald Koeman as saying.
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“That was a pity as when we spoke about the squad in the pre-season I said Jay will be like a fantastic signing for December or January, and he isn’t.
“I think now, in this situation, he will not be available before the end of January.”
Rodriguez joins Dusan Tadic, Jack Cork and youngster Jake Hesketh on the Saints’ injury list, with the club heading to Everton on Saturday.
Koeman’s men, after a fantastic start to the season, have lost their last five games. Tottenham have been heavily linked with a move for the forward over the last few months, as their own season started poorly.
But with the January window likely to close before Rodriguez is fit again, one of the moves that looked a dead certainty to happen in January now looks like it will have to wait until the summer.