Report Claims Omission From FA Cup Semi-Final Will Spell an End to Toby Alderweireld's Spurs Career

Toby Alderweireld's summer departure will be all but confirmed on Saturday, when Mauricio Pochettino picks Davinson Sanchez over the Belgian in Tottenham's FA Cup semi-final tie with Manchester United. That is, according to reports claiming that Pochettino has no intention of keeping the commanding centre back beyond this season.

Alderweireld's campaign this year has been strange. Heading into the season as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, a torn hamstring against European champions Real Madrid handed Davinson Sanchez a chance to impress - and he has; to the point where Pochettino prefers the Colombian over Alderweireld.

And according to the Evening Standard, the Spurs boss is set to leave the 29-year-old out of Saturday's match, despite putting in a strong shift against Brighton - proving that the lack of form and fitness that Pochettino claims that Alderweireld is suffering from, is false.

The former Atletico Madrid defender's problem seems mainly contractual. Alderweireld's current contract runs out in summer 2019, and talks for a new deal have ground to a halt. The defender is said to have demanded three times his current wage of £50,000 per week (which would take him above Harry Kane - Spurs' highest paid player).

As a result, Pochettino has decided to sell him rather than lose Toby for free. The club are after around £50m for their man, and while there is a year long extension written into his deal as it stands, granting that would also trigger a £25m release clause, and teams would snap that opportunity up almost immediately.