Pochettino gives honest answer when asked whether Vincent Janssen will start against Fulham

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Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen was left out of the squad against Gent.

Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen in action

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told The Telegraph that striker Vincent Janssen must show more to win a starting place against Fulham.

Spurs lost 1-0 to Belgian side Gent in the Europa League on Thursday evening, as Jeremy Perbet’s second half strike condemned Tottenham to a shock defeat.

Whilst manager Mauricio Pochettino rotated his side, striker Vincent Janssen wasn’t handed a chance to shine – and in fact, he wasn’t even in the squad despite travelling with the squad.

The Dutch international striker, 22, has endured a difficult first season at White Hart Lane having joined Spurs from AZ Alkmaar over the summer, where he hit 31 goals in just 49 games.

So far, Janssen has yet to score a goal from open play for Spurs, with all four of his goal coming from the penalty spot in a tough opening to life in English football.

Janssen has remarkably played less than half an hour of Premier League football since the end of November, and his omission from the squad against Gent has again brought his future into question.

Ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Fulham – a perfect opportunity for the Dutchman to play after Harry Kane suffered a knock against Gent – manager Pochettino has told The Telegraph that there are no guarantees that Janssen will feature against the Championship side.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino added that Janssen maybe need to show more in training to justify a place in the squad, with his brutally honest comments possibly seen as a way to jolt the striker into life.

“Maybe, maybe,” said Pochettino when asked whether Janssen could start against Fulham. “He was out of the squad [against Gent] – he needs to show more and we’ll see. Maybe he will have the opportunity to be on the bench or play. Today we cannot be sure if he will be in the squad, on the bench or start from the beginning.”

“Performance is always about how the players show their quality, their belief on the training ground. When you select the starting XI and the bench, I try to be fair. It’s normal that maybe he needs to show more,” he added.

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