Tottenham cannot afford to lose Danny Rose, says Jamie Redknapp

Tottenham Hotspur cannot afford to lose mooted Manchester United target Danny Rose, whose prospective exit could give the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane "a reason" to seek pastures new, according to former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp.

Rose was omitted from the Tottenham squad that lost to Arsenal on Saturday (18 November) amid reports of a fall-out between him and Mauricio Pochettino, who said the England international still needs to work on his fitness after the loss at The Emirates Stadium.

Rose, who has only recently come back from a knee ligament problem, has spoken of desire to win trophies sooner rather than later and is willing to move in order to do so. United have been credited with an interest in the former Sunderland loanee for a number of months as they look for a solution to their troubled left-back position.

But Redknapp, who played for Spurs between 2002 and 2005, thinks his former club may set a dangerous precedent if they allow Rose to leave for United just a few months after they sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City, who are currently 11 points ahead of Pochettino's side.

The former Liverpool and Southampton star thinks a number of Tottenham's star players such as Alli and Kane may look elsewhere if Rose leaves, and their departures would leave Pochettino to ponder what else he could feasibly achieve in north London.

"When Kyle Walker joined Manchester City in the summer, the talk was that Tottenham had pulled off a great bit of business, that £54million was an excellent deal for a 27-year-old right back," Redknapp said in his column for the Daily Mail.

"With Tottenham now trailing Pep Guardiola's side by 11 points in the title race, it is increasingly looking like a bad decision. Chelsea were hammered for letting Nemanja Matic join a direct rival in Manchester United but when Walker went to City, it was seen as a shrewd move for Tottenham.

"Regardless of whether Mauricio Pochettino and Rose have fallen out, Tottenham cannot afford to lose another star wing back. This summer, Europe's biggest clubs will be circling to buy Harry Kane and Dele Alli. If Rose is allowed to leave, it gives his team-mates a reason to move elsewhere, too.

"Walker's former team-mates will know how much money he is on at the Etihad and there is a danger that this promising team will be broken apart. Pochettino, too, will wonder what he can achieve at Tottenham if their best players are sold."

It remains to be seen if Rose is restored to the Tottenham starting line-up against Borussia Dortmund, who are completely out of form going into the clash at the Westfalenstadion. Peter Bosz's side are all but out of the Champions League with two matches of the group stage remaining, while Spurs ensured their place in the last-16 with a famous win over Real Madrid, who are set to follow them into the knockout rounds.