Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has suggested some of his out-of-favour players are not doing enough to force their way back into his plans.

Dele Alli and Harry Winks are two high-profile players who have not featured much in recent weeks, with both men left out of a 20-man squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win at Burnley.

Alli has not played in the Premier League since being taken off at half-time in the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal, while Winks has appeared only six times in all competitions and been on the pitch for just 61 minutes in the league.

And Nuno, who faces regular questions about the duo’s omission, says commitment could be an issue with his fringe players.

“There is one thing that is the outside expectations that goes around this kind of situations with players that you must ignore, you must judge in the right moment and be patient and then take care of the situation,” Nuno said.

“Because at the end of the day what we want is for all the players to be involved and committed.

“This word is very important. The commitment is very important.

“When you are committed you understand better some kind of decisions. You are more patient and keep doing what you should do. Focus on your task, day after day.

“I wish all the players were equally committed. That would be absurd to tell that is the reality because the players have their own expectations.

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“Many of them work very, very hard during the week. And then comes the weekend and the coach decides to go with other players.

“It’s not because you’re not committed, but you are upset. You are annoyed. That is respectful. It doesn’t have to do with the commitment of these players.

“These players have to go beyond. They have to make a conscious effort that he has to go again from the beginning of the week to change the opinion and the idea of the manager.

“This is how it works. In this industry, this is what the player should do. Unfortunately, it’s not what is always happening.”