Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says he cannot pick players out of “charity” if they are no longer performing at the level he expects.

Spurs look set to sell a former mainstay of the team Victor Wanyama while Jan Vertonghen has surprisingly been omitted from the opening two games of the season, with Pochettino partnering Davinson Sanchez with Toby Alderweireld in defence.

Vertonghen’s absence from the team has been a constant point of conversation, but Pochettino says the reasoning is very simple.

“I think Lo Celso is a situation that is not going to be easy,” he said.

“He was in extended holidays after the Copa America, he didn’t have a proper pre-season and didn’t train too much, then signed for us after a week without training.

“He’s training well but is still so far away from what we expect from him.

“We need to give him time. He was involved (on Saturday) and will maybe have the possibility to help the team in some points, but we won’t expect too much from him.

“We need to not put the responsibility on him, only to improve and adapt himself with us and see. It’s a natural process to learn and improve.

“In the moment he will be fit and deserves to play then sure he will have the chance like other players.”