Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has reacted to reports suggesting that he has had his first high-profile fallout at the Lilywhites.
French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is yet to feature for Spurs since football's resumption in England, being an unused substitute against both Manchester United and West Ham United.
Reports have now suggested that the club's record signing has had a complete breakdown in communication with Mourinho, and no longer wants to work with the ex-Real Madrid manager.
Pressed to respond to whether or not the rumours are true following Spurs' 2-0 win over the Hammers on Tuesday night, the Portuguese tactician denied that he has anything against the 23-year-old.
"I have attacking players on the bench, (Erik) Lamela and Harry (Winks), two great players to bring and then wings to give us more consistency. This situation of the five changes, some people maybe think that you have to do the five changes, you don't have to do it, you have the chance to do it.
"I felt that the team was fine. I never believed that 2-0 was a completely safe result because, of course, they were trying everything and one goal could change our state of mind and give them the motivation they need for the last minutes, so I decided to keep the team stable and three changes were enough.
"It's not just him (Ndombele), I try to do the best for my team, I cannot start the game with 12 or 13 players, I try to do the best for the team.
"Sometimes I apologise to my players that are not my first choice because I feel the work in training is something that deserves more than what I give, but I have to do my job the best I can and I felt, for these two matches, I didn't need him (Ndombele)."
