Vincent Janssen has commented on his situation at Tottenham.
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen
Tottenham Hotspur striker Vincent Janssen has told The Mirror that he was ‘sad’ when told that he wasn’t even in the squad to take on Gent on Thursday.
Spurs were in Europa League action on Thursday evening, as they travelled to Belgium to take on Gent in a round of 32 clash, but they returned to London with a 1-0 defeat after Jeremy Perbet’s second half winner.
Tottenham never got going in an attacking sense, and it was notable that striker Janssen wasn’t even named on the bench for Thursday’s encounter.
The Dutch hitman, 22, was brought in from AZ Alkmaar last summer to offer cover and competition for Harry Kane up front, with fans excited to see him in action after hitting 31 goals in 49 games for AZ last term.
However, Janssen has endured a miserable spell with Spurs so far, as all four of his goals in all competitions have come from the penalty spot, with no goals from open play so far.
Some have wondered whether Janssen will leave White Hart Lane after just a year having been completely left out of the squad to take on Gent, and the man himself has talked about the situation.
Janssen has told The Mirror that he found out he wasn’t playing just an hour before kick off, and was ‘sad’ about Mauricio Pochettino’s decision, but vowed to work hard for his place, with the striker hoping to play against Fulham today.
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen in action
Janssen did though suggest that he had given himself 12 months to succeed at Spurs, meaning a summer move away from North London may not be beyond all realms of possibility.
“I have given myself 12 months to succeed in the Premier League with Tottenham,” said Janssen. “And those 12 months are not over yet. The level is really high here. Up until last week we were second in the league. Don’t forget I had only played one season at the highest level in Holland when Spurs bought me from AZ Alkmaar. In a short period of time I have made some big steps forward in my career.”
“I’m not going to throw the towel in just because things are not going great for the first time in my career. I am jumping to put the Spurs shirt on, but I will have to prove to the coach that I deserve to play. I was only told one hour before the game on Thursday that I had to sit in the stand, I was the 19th man. Obviously that message made me sad. But the manager makes the choices. I am hoping to play against Fulham in the FA Cup,” he added.
Would you like to see Janssen start against Fulham?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
