Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Toby Alderweireld has revealed that he is feeling "very good" and is ready to be called upon against Arsenal this weekend.
The Belgium international returned from a 14-week hamstring injury layoff against Newport County in midweek, coming through the full 90 minutes of the FA Cup fourth-round replay unscathed.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was unwilling to confirm at his pre-match press conference whether Alderweireld would retain his spot in the heart of defence against Arsenal, but the 28-year-old has declared himself ready for the huge showdown at Wembley Stadium.
"I feel very good. After 90 minutes, I worked very hard to play those kind of games and be ready and I feel very good," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying.
"This has been the longest ever [lay-off], it was a little bit unfortunate there was a tear in the tendon, not only the muscle, and it just takes time.
"We had to do that time and work very hard. It's difficult. It was a proper hamstring injury and the risk of re-tearing it was very big. That's why we took our time and worked very hard so my muscles are ready for this type of game and to play a lot of games again.
"Of course you have those kind of games that you want to be involved in. It is up to the manager now to decide who he needs but you have to have a personal goal to try to come back as quick as possible."
Alderweireld, who also missed seven weeks last season with a separate knee problem, has been used 16 times in all competitions this term.
Daniel Lewis
