Mauricio Pochettino has publicly criticised Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko, insisting that the Frenchman doesn't deserve a spot in his squad.
Speaking about Sissoko after Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday evening, Pochettino slammed Sissoko for below-par performances so far this season, and explained that he needs to work hard to get back into the manager's thinking.
The Tottenham boss was reportedly left angry when Sissoko stated that the club shouldn't have used Wembley for Champions League home games, during an interview discussing their European exit after Tuesday's loss to AS Monaco.
Many thought that Sissoko had served his punishment by being left out of the 18-man-squad for the Chelsea game, but Pochettino took things a step further by speaking about the player, who became Tottenham's record signing via a £30million deal this summer.
Football not about money
Explaining that "football is not about money, it is about being better," Pochettino went on to state that Sissoko must show that he's better than his teammates on the training ground in order to play.
"I need to take a decision and I believe the players that start on the bench deserved to be involved in the game. It is not another thing to focus on. [What he said regarding Wembley] is not frustrating for me. It is about football," said the manager.
A thirty-million waste?
Pochettino slammed suggestions that he needs to start playing Sissoko and getting the best out of him to justify what many have called a panic-buy at the end of the window, but the Tottenham manager doesn't see things in the same way.
"Why?" Said the boss when quizzed about this, adding "because we paid money we need to put the player to play?".
But what now for Sissoko? What does he have to do to get back into the squad? Pochettino answered that too, revealing "he needs to work hard and show in the future he deserves to be involved in the team."
The Frenchman's next chance to get back into the Spurs team will be for the home game against Swansea City next weekend.