Mauricio Pochettino says he consoled an emotional Luke Shaw over the telephone after the Manchester United player sustained a double leg fracture against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night.
Shaw worked under Pochettino at Southampton, the left-back becoming an important member of the side while in his teens. The two have remained close and Pochettino called Shaw, who has already undergone surgery in Holland, before presiding over Tottenham’s training session on Wednesday.
“I spoke with him this morning,” said Pochettino. “He’s much better today but it is always difficult when you have that type of injury. I give my support and wish him a speedy recovery.
“It’s difficult because he was crying and you can understand that after a big injury – not only for the pain but for everything around the situation.”
Pochettino said that he “felt sick” after witnessing Shaw’s injury, which came as a result of a tackle by Hector Moreno. The PSV defender has since apologised, and Pochettino believes that the challenge was not malicious.
“The intention of Hector Moreno was never to do this but this is football,” he said. “There is always danger and you know this type of action will sometimes happen.”
The Tottenham manager is preparing his own players for Thursday night’s opening Europa League group stage fixture against Azerbaijani side Qarabag at White Hart Lane, and expects to make changes against a team that he says should not be underrated.
“Maybe it will be a mix tomorrow between the players that have played in the Premier League and those who haven’t played yet,” he said. “We have six games in two and a half weeks and it’s important to share the minutes and to play the best team for every game.
“Qarabag are a good team, they played against Celtic [in Champions League qualifying] and played very well. It’s a team that tries to build from the back and play along the grass, a very dynamic team. I think we need to show respect for them because it’s not an easy game.”
Ryan Mason will miss the match after injuring his knee in a collision with the Sunderland goalkeeper, Costel Pantilimon, while scoring the winning goal in their meeting on Sunday. Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele remain sidelined through injury, but Pochettino hinted that Erik Lamela – who came off the bench to create Mason’s goal at the Stadium of Light – could start.
