Alderweireld: It's 'not true' I wanted to leave Tottenham in summer

Toby Alderweireld insists he wasn't close to leaving Tottenham Hotspur over the summer after the club made it clear he's wanted in north London.

The defender spoke out following Belgium's third-place finish at the World Cup, saying that his form at the tournament proved his omissions from Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI were "unjustified."

However, despite his club manager reportedly being open to offloading him to begin a new era - with Manchester United touted as a potential suitor - Alderweireld stayed put and has started three of Spurs' four Premier League matches to begin the season.

"Everyone was saying everywhere that I absolutely wanted to leave Tottenham," the 29-year-old told RTBF's Gregoire Mahieu, as translated by ESPN.

"That's not true. This summer, I quickly understood Tottenham wanted to keep me. So, I had to battle to get my place back in the team. To be in the first team again is a victory for me."

Alderweireld's current Tottenham deal expires at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, and the paperwork includes a clause which allows him to exit for £25 million next summer. Manchester United apparently lodged a £50-million bid for Alderweireld prior to the 2018-19 term, an offer which is believed to have been £20 million short of Spurs' valuation.

The Ajax product made just 14 league appearances last season but has twice played in a back-three, and once in a central defensive pairing alongside Jan Vertonghen in the latest campaign. His best outing was probably against Manchester United, when he produced three tackles and cleared the ball from danger seven times in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

"I just try to help Tottenham as best I can with my qualities," Alderweireld said to French-language journalist Michael Franken. "Regarding my future, everything that was said in the press was not right all the time."