Nuno Espirito Santo questions commitment of Tottenham's fringe players
By Tom Gott
Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has hit out at some of the lesser-used players at the club, suggesting they do not have the commitment to force their way into his plans.
Midfielder Harry Winks has already publicly confessed to being unhappy with his limited role under Nuno, while Dele Alli has tumbled down the pecking order and has not left the bench in any of Spurs' last three games. Both players were left out of the squad to face Burnley in the Carabao Cup midweek.
Nuno was asked about the duo's omission in the build-up to Saturday's meeting with Manchester United, and while he did not mention any names, he made it perfectly clear that he believes his fringe players do not have the mentality needed to get themselves back into Spurs' first team.
"There is one thing that is the outside expectations that goes around this kind of situations with players that you must ignore, you must judge in the right moment and be patient and then take care of the situation," Nuno said (via Sky Sports News).
"Because at the end of the day what we want is for all the players to be involved and committed. This word is very important. The commitment is very important.
"When you are committed you understand better some kind of decisions. You are more patient and keep doing what you should do. Focus on your task, day after day.
"I wish all the players were equally committed. That would be absurd to tell that is the reality because the players have their own expectations. Many of them work very, very hard during the week. And then comes the weekend and the coach decides to go with other players.
"It's not because you're not committed, but you are upset. You are annoyed. That is respectful. It doesn't have to do with the commitment of these players. These players have to go beyond. They have to make a conscious effort that he has to go again from the beginning of the week to change the opinion and the idea of the manager.
"This is how it works. In this industry, this is what the player should do. Unfortunately, it's not what is always happening."
Whether either player will feature against United remains to be seen. Winks has just 61 minutes of league action to his name this season, while Dele has been fighting a losing battle for game time in midfield.