Aurier throws down gauntlet to Trippier: 'Now is my time'

Serge Aurier wants to establish himself as Tottenham’s first-choice right-back ahead of England’s World Cup star Kieran Trippier after insisting: “Now is my time.”

Trippier, whose stock has never been higher after his performances in Russia, is not expected to return to training until the week before Spurs’ opening Premier League game, at Newcastle, on August 11.

In Trippier’s absence, Aurier should play a significant part in Spurs’ trip to the US, starting with tonight’s friendly against Roma here in San Diego, and he is determined to take advantage of Trippier’s late return, having played no part in pre-season last year.

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“Trippier is on holiday and it’s my moment to take my chance,” said Aurier, who joined Spurs for £23million on deadline day last year as a replacement for Kyle Walker.

“The season is long. I start now and Trippier is coming afterwards. It was the same for me [last season]. Now is my time. If I play good, then the gaffer has a choice [to make].

“I’m happy for Tripps. I sent him a message for the game [England’s semi-final defeat by Croatia] and for the World Cup. I said congratulations for your World Cup.

“It’s good competition for me - not a bad thing. Trippier gave me some things and me [to him] too. If Trippier is good, he plays. If I am good, I play. It’s no problem for me.”

Aurier’s performances last season were erratic, with Trippier usually preferred in the biggest games.

“This season is not the same,” said Aurier. “[Last year] I didn’t have a pre-season. Now I’m working very, very well and I’m ready for the next three [friendly] games. Pre-season is very, very important. And after, when the league starts, I’m ready.

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“Playing more games is important. Last season I play, Trippier played, I played. I’m here for my pre-season and my fitness. I know the Premier League, the players, all the people who work in the team. Now I am ready.”

At PSG, Aurier won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles in 2015 and 2016 and he believes Tottenham are capable of winning the Premier League for the first time this season.

“My ambition is to win the Premier League,” he said.

“Why not? The Premier League is not the same as the French league. It’s been a big change for me but I have the team that [can] finish first. I don’t know [if we will] but I believe and all the guys believe in the new project, the new stadium.

“Before I came, I looked at the Premier League. I liked the intensity. I like the fans. The English people like football. That’s very important. It’s not the same in France.

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“Here, you play against Leicester or Burnley and the stadium is full. That is football. The difference is very, very big.”

Aurier arrived in England with a bad-boy reputation following a number of unsavoury off-field incidents during his three-year stay in the French capital, including a conviction for assault on a police officer.

Last September, Mauricio Pochettino said he had threatened to head-butt Aurier if he stepped out of line but the defender has avoided controversy so far at White Hart Lane, although the Spurs manager was forced to talk to him after he committed three foul throws - a Premier League first - in the win at Crystal Palace in February.

“It’s normal he spoke with me [when I joined],” Aurier added. “In France, the media didn’t give me a chance. The gaffer told me the club’s history. The history of the players. For me, that’s important. The players are good, the mentality is good.

“I just love to play football. It’s a new season, I forget the past. Everything here is new and a new challenge for me and for the team.

“He told me stay focused because now when your throw-ins is good, the ref says no,” he added. “It’s my first time. I didn’t know the England league but now I’m ok. I’m ready for everything.”