October 30, (THEWILL) – Nuno Espirito Santo, the manager of Tottenham Hotspur, has slammed several of the club’s fringe players, claiming they lack the commitment to force their way into his plans.
Harry Winks has already expressed his dissatisfaction with his limited game time under Nuno, while Dele Alli has fallen down the pecking order and has not started any of Spurs’ last three games. Both players were left out of the Carabao Cup match against Burnley in midweek.
“There is one thing that is the outside expectations that goes around this kind of situation 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.
“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.”
It is unclear whether either Winks or Alli will play versus Manchester United. This season, Winks has only played 61 minutes of league football, while Dele has been pushing for game time in midfield without much success.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
