Pochettino to reward fringe player with first-team chance

Matt Stead

Mauricio Pochettino has been impressed with Georges-Kevin Nkoudou’s development in recent months.

Nkoudou has struggled to establish himself at Tottenham since joining in summer 2016, and is yet to either start a Premier League game or score a goal in any competition.

The winger assisted one goal in 17 games last season, and his last appearance came as a seven-minute substitute in the Carabao Cup defeat to West Ham in October.

But Pochettino feels he has earned an “opportunity” as Tottenham seek to reignite their season.

“I am happy with him in the last few weeks. He started to realise that he needed to improve in many things,” he said.

“It’s true that he’s so young. I wanted to give him an opportunity before but maybe it was impossible. Maybe tomorrow he will have the possibility to play and to prove that he can help the team and start to grow up.

“I think when the players are so young, always they need different timings and to realise how they need to work.

“I think he’s a great guy. There is nothing to complain about with his behaviour and everything because he’s a lovely kid. But in professional football in the last few weeks he’s shown he should have the possibility to play and show his quality.”