Tottenham full-back Serge Aurier has confessed that he had decided to leave north London during the summer.
The Ivory Coast international is yet to make an appearance in Mauricio Pochettino’s side so far this season, with centre-half Davinson Sanchez preferred to him at right-back in the North London Derby.
Colombia international Sanchez had not played the position before, but the Argentine boss picked him when first choice Kyle Walker-Peters was ruled out for the key Premier League match.
Despite his absence from the side, Aurier said the club’s refusal to allow him to leave showed their faith in him.
“I had decided to leave, which was fine for me,” the former Paris Saint-Germain man told Bal des Productions.
“Finally, a lot of things came into account and I could not leave.
“It also proves the club trusts me on many points. We will see how this season progresses. Now the transfer window is over and we must focus on the upcoming season.”
Tottenham’s supply of right-backs appears thin at the moment.
England World Cup hero Kieran Trippier was allowed to leave this summer, joining Atletico Madrid in Spain.
That left Aurier and Walker-Peters as the only specialists in that position at the club. Juan Foyth was tipped to gain some time playing there, but the Argentina international suffered a serious knee injury in pre-season that will sideline him for some time.
Aurier, who boasts 55 caps for Ivory Coast, would have expected to play the bulk of the time as a result, but Pochettino has opted for 22-year-old Walker-Peters, who has made only 10 first-team appearances so far in his career.
Despite that state of affairs Aurier dismissed the idea that there is any rivalry for the right-back position at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“What competition? There isn’t any,” he said when asked if he was worried he’d spend more time on the bench.
Walker-Peters is back in training after missing the Arsenal game with a minor hamstring injury and will be available to return to the first XI against Crystal Palace when Spurs resume Premier League action on Saturday.
They then start their Champions League campaign against Olympiacos on September 18.