Mauricio Pochettino confirms Danny Rose will return to Tottenham squad for Real Madrid showdown

Danny Rose could make his long-awaited Tottenham Hotspur return against Real Madrid after Mauricio Pochettino revealed he will name the full-back on the bench.

Spurs flew to Madrid for Tuesday's (17 October) showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu with Rose among the travelling party, despite only returning to training after a lengthy injury layoff last week.

The England international has not played any football since suffering a season-ending knee injury against Sunderland on 31 January, undergoing surgery to solve the issue during the summer.

But with Ben Davies left out of the squad due to an illness that also saw him miss Saturday's narrow win over Bournemouth, Rose could have a role to play off the bench against the reigning Spanish and European champions.

Mousa Dembele, another recent absentee who only returned to training last week after an ankle problem, has also made the trip and will train with the squad in Madrid on Monday evening.

"I think Danny Rose will be on the bench and it is important," Pochettino said. "Maybe he is not fit to play from the beginning but to help the team."

The still-suspended Dele Alli has also made the trip to support his teammates. "Mousa is here and Dele wanted to come to stay with the team and we have some injured players like [Erik] Lamela still recovering and [Victor] Wanyama at the training ground, they preferred to stay there."

On Rose's return, Pochettino added: "It is very good for the team, it is good for him after nearly 10 months away. Always it is important for the player to start to feel again that he can be involved and be part of the team."

Wanyama and Lamela have remained back in north London as they continue to work their way back to full fitness, with Davies also failing to make the trip. Georges-Kévin Nkoudou is another absentee due to a concussion.