Sandro took to Twitter prior to Tottenham’s game against Fulham this afternoon to announce that he was “not injured”, sparking questions as to why he’d been excluded from the squad.
Tim Sherwood has come under a lot of pressure from fans this season for the unorthodox line-ups and employment of key players in unusual positions.
The news that fan-favourite Sandro hadn’t even made the bench was surprising considering that Tottenham have no other defensively minded midfielders in their squad, with Capoue still yet to reach full fitness.
Sandro has struggled for form since sustaining a serious leg injury last campaign that kept him out for over six months, but his omission spoke volumes of Sherwood’s appraisal of the Brazilian, who’s been a mainstay of the Tottenham midfield in recent years.
After the game, Sherwood was questioned over Sandro’s tweets and had this to say, “I don’t think he’s good enough to be in the side at the minute, when he shows me he’s up to the level of the other players he’ll be back in the squad.”
Sandro responded to Sherwood’s assessment with this tweet:
Following an impressive 3-1 victory over London rivals Fulham, Tottenham would’ve anticipated all the post-match chatter to be focused on the likes of Christian Eriksen (two assists) and Harry Kane (three goals in three games).
Instead, due to some ill-advised comments from both parties, this spat between Sherwood and Sandro is set to take centre stage.
As the World Cup creeps ever closer, Sandro will be desperate to prove his fitness to Brazil head coach, Felipe Scolari. With Sherwood in charge, and only four games remaining, he may struggle to do that.