Fans may be disappointed and yet understanding if Jose Mourinho were to omit Tanguy Ndombele from his starting lineup for Tottenham’s return match against Manchester United, if we had everybody available.
The Portuguese has made a career out of stilfing opponents in big games and there may not have been room in his XI for all three of Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli. For now, that’s a problem for another day.
Somehow even after a three-month period of inactivity the footballing Gods have conspired against us to leave us without two of our best players for the visit of United. Dele is of course suspended while Jose confirmed at his pre-match press conference that the boy Lo Celso is a fitness doubt.
And now leaving out Ndombele would create a lot more of stir. If Mourinho is without his only other two offensively-gifted midfielders then snubbing the Frenchman would suggest that he hasn’t earned Jose’s trust just yet. It would also leave us completely devoid of creativity in midfield again.
I think, in an ideal world, Mourinho would have left Ndombele on the bench for United so not to jeopardise his stability in the centre of the park and then released the 23-year-old against West Ham next Tuesday.
But he now may have to make a decision to start him sooner than he would have wanted, because there may not be any excuses for him to hide behind.