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Mourinho looking to retain Ndombele's services

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly changed his mind regarding midfielder Tanguy Ndombele and is planning to hold on to him.

Mourinho recently took aim at the £65m man, which has led to speculation that the club will look to sell the France international in the summer window with PSG understood to be circling.

Mauricio Pochettino opted for a softly, softly approach with the former Lyon man as he bedded in for his first season in England. However, Mourinho has not shown as much patience with the player.

Back in early February, the Portuguese firebrand said that Ndombele needed to step up and that he was still not ready to play 90 minutes for Tottenham after recovering from injury.

The Tottenham boss has also said in the past that Ndombele is "always injured" and after he missed Spurs' 2-1 win over Brighton earlier in the season that "he was not injured but not feeling in a condition to play."

He also singled him out for public criticism following the 1-1 draw against Burnley last month.

"We had to make decisions about the team. I trusted some players to give the team what we need - energy, quality and freshness," Mourinho told BBC Sport after hauling the player off at half-time.

"I didn't get the answer from all of them so at half-time I had to go back to the ones that I know."

Asked whether the two players that came off were the players under-performing, Mourinho replied: "I think one is a kid of 19 years old [Skipp]. He was not bad. It's not a kid of 19 years old that has the responsibility to be the point of connection.

"From Tanguy, of course, I think with the quality he has he must have more responsibility in doing to the team what the team needs from a midfield player with his quality."

The game after Burnley - the 3-0 Champions League last 16 defeat to Red Bull Leipzig - Ndombele was left on the bench, but according to the Daily Star Mourinho is not yet ready to sell the player, despite his constant criticism.

A source is reported to have said: "Jose believes Ndombele is a player of great quality. He will not ditch him."

- TEAMtalk media

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