Mauricio Pochettino was planning to assess Mousa Dembele in training on Tuesday before deciding whether to include him in Tottenham’s starting XI against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Dembele was named only among the substitutes for last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Everton, replacing Christian Eriksen for the final 20 minutes at Goodison Park.
Six days earlier, Dembele played 75 minutes for Belgium in a World Cup qualifier in Greece. Dembele is Spurs’s best central midfielder and will always be included if fit, though his physical condition has to be managed carefully. He had an operation on his left foot last season after playing through the pain barrier for much of the campaign and said in July he would always have to manage the discomfort.
Pochettino knows Dembele’s importance and unless he suffered a reaction against Everton, it appears likely that he will be restored to the line-up against the German club.