Danny Rose is likely to miss the beginning of next season after undergoing surgery to the left knee problem that has kept him out of action for the past three and a half months.
The Tottenham Hotspur left-back, whose last appearance came in the 0-0 draw at Sunderland on 31 January, had made a return to training but he continued to feel pain and was unable to operate at full power.
Rose’s case has similarities to that of his team-mate Érik Lamela, with the club considering the operation as a last resort. But, as with Lamela, it came to be the only option. Lamela had surgery to his troublesome hip on 1 April, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. He last played at Liverpool in the EFL Cup defeat on 25 October.
Rose wanted to get to the root of his medial ligament injury and he is expected to be at least three months from a return to match sharpness. His pre-season will be disrupted – which is what every professional dreads – and he faces the prospect of playing catch-up in terms of his fitness.
“We can confirm that Danny Rose has undergone exploratory surgery on his left knee today,” Tottenham said in a statement. “He recently returned to training; however, the problem has not resolved fully, therefore a decision has been made to proceed to surgery. He will now return to action next season.”
Kyle Walker, Tottenham’s first-choice right-back for almost all of the season, is a prime summer target for Manchester City, and it is unclear whether he will still be at White Hart Lane next season.
City have earmarked £60m to spend on a new right-back and left-back and the signs over recent weeks have been that Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham manager, could be ready to cash in on Walker if it helps him to strengthen the squad overall.
Pochettino has faith in Walker’s understudy, Kieran Trippier, who he started ahead of Walker in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, the home derby against Arsenal and the final fixture at White Hart Lane against Manchester United. Walker has been upset at Pochettino’s decisions while he also knows that he could double his current £70,000-a-week salary at City.
