Christian Eriksen is a doubt for Tottenham Hotspur's pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid on Friday, confirmed manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The club are currently touring Australia as part of their preparation for the upcoming Premier League season, but were without Eriksen for their first friendly Down Under, a 2-1 defeat to Juventus on Tuesday.
Poch hopes Eriksen can play at least 45 minutes
The attacking midfielder, 24-years-old, has been struggling with a virus since the start of the trip, and his team could be without him once more against Atletico Madrid, confirmed Pochettino, who said; "He got a virus when we arrived in Australia on Saturday, It was impossible for him to be involved in the game [vs Juventus]. We'll see. We will see what happens on Friday and we hope he will be available to play 45 minutes."
Janssen and young defence struggle
Eriksen's absence wasn't the only disappointment on Tuesday for Pochettino, who watched his young side concede two early goals to the Old Lady, showcasing their inexperience. In addition, new signing Vincent Janssen struggled for service as the lone striker.
Speaking about Janssen's performance, Pochettino sympathised with the player, saying "the first half was difficult for Vincent", mainly because Spurs found it "difficult to bring the ball into the last third".
He did praise the Dutch international, saying that he "worked very hard for the team" and eventually "linked better with his teammates" in the second half of the game.
Asked about the youngsters, who were at fault for the first two goals, Pochettino said that "it was a great experience, there are lots of things to learn and lots of positives". He is right to an extent, with the youthful Spurs backline improving as the game went on, their manager hailing them for a good second half performance, which he said the supporters should be "proud" of.