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08th Nov 2017

One Spurs star was told he was overweight when he arrived at the club

A few too many mojitos...

Darragh Murphy

Kieran Trippier remains hopeful of nailing down a place in the England starting XI ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

The Spurs full back earned his first senior call-up in June and made his international debut against France that same month.

With two caps to his name, Trippier is optimistic that if he continues playing as consistently for Spurs then he will be rewarded by English boss Gareth Southgate.

Trippier is in his third season with the North London outfit, having moved from Burnley for a bargain £3.5 million in 2015.

His performances for Mauricio Pochettino’s side this season have earned him plenty of praise throughout the current campaign and Sky Sports pundit Matt Le Tissier was so impressed with the 27-year-old that he selected him over Antonio Valencia on the right side of a back four in his combined XI ahead of Manchester United’s victory over Spurs two weeks ago.

But it wasn’t always so easy for Trippier at Spurs because, according to the defender, he was told he was carrying too much body fat after moving from Burnley.

“When I was at Burnley and we got our body fat done, I had a really good percentage. Sean Dyche was happy,” Trippier told the Daily Mail.

“I went to Tottenham and I was well high [in body fat] — I think they pinch you tougher at Tottenham, unless it was my all-inclusive holiday in Mexico and the mojitos!

“It turns out I wasn’t in the best shape when I came to Tottenham and the manager let me know that. He told me that and within six months of getting there I was in great condition.”