‘He’s not ready’: Mourinho says that 23-year-old won’t start for Tottenham tonight

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has said to Football London that Tanguy Ndombele is not ready to play a full game yet.

Ndombele once again struggled with injury over pre-season for Spurs, and is working to get his fitness levels up to scratch.

There was a feeling around Tottenham fans that a Europa League qualifier against Lokomotiv Plovdiv could be the perfect opportunity to give Ndombele some game time.

But Mourinho feels that the French midfielder simply isn’t ready to complete a full match currently.

“I believe that Tanguy no,” Mourinho said when asked if Ndombele would start tonight.

“Tanguy is in a process of evolution, very positive. Finished the season injury and in bad condition, didn’t start pre-season – again injured. On top of that, other health problems.

“Working hard, he knows what we want from him. He’s trying hard to have minutes. It’s a good thing for him. To be ready to start is something we – and I include him in this discussion because we discussed his situation together – he’s not ready to start of play for 90 minutes, no.”

Ndombele will need to get back to full fitness sooner rather than later, as he faces a real fight to win over Mourinho this season.

The Portuguese boss seems to have had his doubts about Tottenham’s record signing, and he was regularly overlooked last term.

Ndombele was used on opening day for Spurs, but only as an impact substitute, and he was unable to stop them falling to a 1-0 defeat against Everton.