Tottenham ace Danny Rose adamant he will get wage he’s worth and he would discuss a bid with Mauricio Pochettino in stunning string of revelations
The 27-year-old Spurs and England left-back speaks exclusively to SunSport in a brutally honest interview
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AFTER six months of intense frustration at being laid low by a knee injury, and a decade of keeping his head down as a dedicated pro, Danny Rose wants to give you a piece of his mind.
He may be England’s first-choice left-back and a member of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the past two seasons, but Rose has often felt under-valued and misunderstood.
He has requested this interview to put that all straight.
Rose said: “I am opinionated and I might not have long left in football.
“One thing is for sure, for the rest of this career, I will play this game how I want to play it and, while I am not going to disrespect anyone, I am going to voice my opinions."
Rose is not demanding a transfer from Tottenham.
But in a candid and wide-ranging interview, he gives a refreshingly honest opinion on a club which has punched above its weight with two title challenges, yet has not spent a penny on players this summer.
The rampaging full-back is adamant that he is motivated more by trophies and medals than money.
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But he insists he does not believe he or his Spurs team-mates are paid their true worth.
Having recently turned 27, and contemplating a return from the longest injury lay-off of his career, Rose admitted: “At my age, and having missed six months with injury, I have been thinking about this quite a lot.
“I am reaching my peak and have probably only got one big contract left in me.
“Time is running out and I do want to win trophies. I don’t want to play football for 15 years and not have one trophy or one medal.
“Sorry, that’s not what I am about. I wouldn’t be happy with that. I want to win something.
“I will say this too — I will play up north. I don’t know exactly when, but I will get back up north and play some football somewhere.
“I moved away from home (from Leeds to Spurs) at 16.
“Yes I’ve got team-mates who have moved away from families in South Korea and Argentina, but I have been away for over ten years now and I don’t get to see my mum that often.
“I am going to make it my priority before I retire to play football up there.
“My short-term focus is to get back to playing like last year and if I do that the long-term will take care of itself.
“I’m not saying I want out, but if something came to me that was concrete, I’d have no qualms about voicing my opinions to anyone at the club.”
Rose is believed to earn £65,000-per-week. A move to Chelsea or either Manchester club could earn him two or three times as much.
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When told he might be accused of being motivated by cash, Rose is uncommonly honest in insisting he knows his worth – and will not sell himself short.
He said: “Being injured has harmed me on and off the field in a lot of ways.
“When you’re injured you get a lot of time to think and I’ve had a lot of ‘what if?’ moments. It’s been hard to deal with.
“One thing is for sure — I know my worth and I will make sure I get what I am worth.
“I am not playing as well as I have done not to get paid what I think I am worth.
“In any walk of life, if you think you are worth a certain amount, why settle for less? I am not that person.
“If I get to levels I reached last season — and this goes out to everybody — I will make sure I get what I am worth. I don’t know how much longer I might have at this level. I’m not going to be stupid enough not to try and get the most out of it — medals, trophies and salary.
“Anyone who thinks this is primarily for money, that is not the case. But I know what I am worth.
“As with everyone else in my team, in my opinion, I am worth more than I am getting.
“I am not speaking on behalf of other players, but that is my view.”
Rose has huge respect for manager Mauricio Pochettino — he has even been referred to as the “gaffer’s son” by team-mates who joke he is a teacher’s pet.
Yet the long-serving left-back is sick of hearing suggestions he was not up to it before Pochettino arrived in 2014.
Back then Rose was unpopular with Spurs fans after tough times under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood.
And when Pochettino handed him a new contract, many were scathing.
Rose added: “People speak about me and to me as if I had two left feet before Mauricio came to the club.
“But I want people to understand that having one average season, as I’d had, doesn’t make you a bad player. You need to distinguish that.
“I don’t usually blow my own trumpet, but I was a good player before the manager came. I am an even better one now and he has helped me become more consistent.
“But don’t ever speak about me as if I had two left feet before he arrived. I am not having that. I’ll never forget how some fans treated me when I signed a contract.
“I have been desperate to get that on record and I hope people read about my mindset on that one.
“I am happy at Tottenham, I love my team-mates and the fans have been great for the last three years.
“But I got a lot of stick before Mauricio came to the club. I’ll never forget some of the things they were saying about me.
“Now I want to win things and I want to be in the starting 11 at the World Cup with England. If I have a good season, these things will sort themselves out.”
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