Nuno Espirito Santo has asked Dele Alli and outcast Harry Winks to stop frowning and prove him wrong.
The Tottenham boss left the former English duo out of his squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup at Burnley.
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Winks was not even on the bench after his 1-0 Premier League defeat at West Ham on Sunday after he publicly criticized his Portuguese tactics and his treatment of marginal players.
It is unlikely that Winks and Dele will be involved when Tottenham host Manchester United this evening.
“I hope all the players are equally committed,” Nuno said. “But it would be ridiculous to say that this is the reality because the players have their own expectations.
“A lot of them work really hard during the week. Then the weekend comes and the coach decides to go with other players.
“It’s not because you’re not committed, but you’re upset. You’re upset. That’s respectful. It’s not about the commitment of these players.
“These players then have to go further. They have to make a conscious effort that he has to come back again from the start of the week to change the manager’s mindset.
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“That’s how it works. In this industry, that’s what a player has to do. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.”
The Dele and Winks can draw heart from fellow midfield Tanguy Ndombele who worked his way back into Nuno’s plans after being frozen by him at the start of the season.
Spurs’ record £65m from Lyon in July 2019 said he wanted to leave the club last summer – and is now one of the first names on the squad.
Asked about the inspiration for this French Renaissance, Nuno said: “I’m sorry I won’t tell you the details of our conversation as you understand.
“Every single situation that we go through with the players, we personally take care of when we feel like this is the moment.
“And there may be times when I and I are here to listen and observe and make decisions. And those decisions are made in many situations.
“What happened with Tanguy happened because of many situations. One thing is the external expectations that go around in this kind of situation with the players that you have to ignore.
I hope all players are equally committed. But it would be silly to say that this is the reality because players have their own expectations.
Nuno Espirito Santo
“You have to judge at the right moment, be patient and then take care of the situation because at the end of the day what we want is all the players involved and their commitment.
“This word is very important. Commitment is very important.
“When you commit, you better understand some types of decisions. You are more patient and you keep doing what you have to do.
“Just focus on your task day in and day out.”
Winks and Dele are believed to be open to leaving the club in January.
Nono said: “They are our players, they are here with us. There is nothing to worry about. It is a case in which we have to work, we have to improve all the players, and build momentum on the performance of the players.
“That’s what the team is all about. Making decisions, taking advantage of the moment, talent, what we want for the game. All the players we count.”
Elsewhere at Tottenham, Ryan Sessegnon has been sidelined with injury while Brian Gill is in doubt after being knocked out at Turf Moor.
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