Selection claims by Jose Mourinho are being disputed inside Tottenham, it has been claimed.

The London Evening Standard says Mourinho's explanation for not selecting Toby Alderweireld in Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Sunday has caused confusion at the club, with sources disputing the manager's claim that Alderweireld returned late from international duty.

Mourinho said Alderweireld and fellow defender Serge Aurier did not travel to St James' Park because they had only trained on the day before the game following this week's internationals.

“They were fit, yeah, but they reported for training only yesterday," the manager told his post-match press conference.

“They went for their national teams and they didn't make the Covid tests on time to be in the training session on Thursday, not even on Friday. They come only yesterday."

But sources with knowledge of the situation insist Alderweireld reported to Hotspur Way on Wednesday afternoon, having played in Belgium's win over Belarus in Leuven on Tuesday and travelled back to London in the morning.

The centre-half is understood to have been tested on Wednesday and trained individually, before joining the squad for sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.