Rob Page Insists He Will Not Jeopardise Tottenham Star’s ‘Health and Safety’ – Wales boss Rob Page has claimed that the Welsh Football Association (WFA) have been in contact with Tottenham regarding striker Brennan Johnson and that he is not willing to put the player’s wellbeing at risk.
The 24-year-old has made just one start for Spurs since joining the club from Nottingham Forest in the summer – a 2-2 stalemate with Arsenal.
The 22-year-old came off with a tight hamstring in the second half of that clash and has not featured since, with reports indicating that some at Tottenham are hopeful that he could be available for the clash against Fulham on October 23 (The Athletic).
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The pacy youngster has not been picked in the Welsh squad for their upcoming friendly against Gibraltar on October 11 and their Euro qualifiers against Croatia on October 15.
Wales will not take any risks with Brennan Johnson
The Dragons will be without their top scorer for the game against the Croats, which is a huge blow to their hopes, but Page said that Johnson’s wellbeing had to be the main priority.
When quizzed on his decision to omit the former Forest star from the squad, the Wales manager told The Daily Mail that the relationship between the club and Tottenham had been excellent. “There is a lot of respect between us. We both want a good player fit, so it’s all about working together.”
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“I’m not going to insist that he has to come away and we’re going to play him, jeopardise his safety and health. I wouldn’t do that. But they also understand the importance of our games. We’ve had great conversations with them, but ultimately his injury will dictate whether he can meet up or not.”
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It is refreshing to hear the manager put the player’s health first instead of risking him in a crucial game. This is in stark contrast to Lionel Scaloni, who has called up Giovani Lo Celso to the Argentine squad even though the midfielder has not kicked a ball in a month and a half.
