Pochettino: Out-of-favour Janssen 'needs to show more'

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says £17-million striker Vincent Janssen "needs to show more" if he's to be considered for minutes with the first team.

The nine-time Netherlands international, 22, has scored just four goals since his summer move from AZ Alkmaar, all of which came from the penalty spot. As a result of his poor output, he hasn't mustered over 15 minutes in a Premier League match since November, and he wasn't included in Thursday's 1-0 Europa League defeat to Gent.

"Maybe, maybe," Pochettino responded when asked if Janssen would feature in Sunday's FA Cup bout at Fulham, according to the Guardian's Dominic Fifield. "In Gent he was out of the squad. He needs to show more, and then we'll see. Maybe he will have the opportunity to be on the bench or play (from the start). But, at the moment, we cannot be sure if he will be on the squad, on the bench or start from the beginning.

"Performance is always about how the players show their quality, their belief on the training ground. When you select the starting XI and the bench, I try to be fair. So it's normal that, maybe, he needs to show more."

If he doesn't manage that soon, Fifield reports that Spurs could broker a transfer for Jay Rodriguez, a former player of Pochettino's at Southampton.

In the meantime, Janssen being an unequivocal flop so far highlights a possible Achilles heel of Pochettino's management: his transfer dealings. The acquisitions of DeAndre Yedlin, Federico Fazio, Clinton Njie, and Moussa Sissoko have also been questioned - but it's another Pochettino buy, the tireless Heung-Min Son, who's set to lead the line against Fulham.

The trip to Craven Cottage could provide an opportunity to usher Jan Vertonghen back into the senior setup. The Belgian centre-half has been out since mid-January with an ankle injury.