Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino concedes ‘maybe one player is not happy’ with Hong Kong trip

Manager Mauricio Pochettino claims reports of unrest within his Tottenham squad over next week’s friendly with Kitchee in Hong Kong are “wrong” but conceded “maybe 1 per cent or one player is not happy”.

English Premier League runners-up Spurs face Hong Kong champions Kitchee next Friday at Hong Kong Stadium in a hastily-arranged postseason friendly, which comes less than a week after the end of the top-flight domestic season in England on Sunday.

Reports emerged prior to the announcement of the game last week that “some of the team’s stars are unhappy they must play one more game”, particularly with a large number of Tottenham’s squad set to feature in internationals at the start of June.

Youngsters Kyle Walker-Peters, Joshua Onomah and Cameron Carter-Vickers will not travel with the squad due to their international commitments, while England left back Danny Rose has undergone exploratory surgery on his left knee and is not set to be fit until the start of next season.

“Look, two months ago, all of us spoke about the situation and we all agreed that if we did not get to the FA Cup final, we would need to help the club and go there and spend four or five days,” Pochettino told a press conference.

“The rumours in the media are wrong. Maybe 1 per cent or one player is not happy, but the rest of the group is so, so, so happy to help the club.