A miffed Ange Postecoglou warned the media not to question his "integrity" when asked about Eric Dier's absence through injury from Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 FA Cup win over Burnley on Friday.
The England international - who has now entered the last six months of his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - was not named in the squad to face the Clarets while speculation over a move to Bayern Munich heats up.
Dier is believed to have agreed terms over a switch to the German champions, whose move for the 29-year-old has been endorsed by his former Tottenham teammate Harry Kane, and the Bavarians now intend to push through with a January deal.
However, Tottenham still have the right to demand a nominal fee for the soon-to-be free agent while he remains under contract in North London, and the two clubs are yet to reach a full agreement over a mid-season transfer.
Postecoglou was pressed on the Dier to Bayern links during his post-game press conference, confirming that the Englishman had missed the third-round tie through injury, stating: "Yes, yeah he's injured. He just pulled up sore and didn't train yesterday," as quoted by football.london.
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When immediately asked about the possibility of Dier joining Bayern in the coming weeks, Postecoglou cut a vexed figure and denied any knowledge of an agreement, adding: "Separate issue mate but don't question my integrity.
"When I say he's injured, he's injured. He didn't train yesterday. I can get Vision [Spurs' training system footage] for you or you can ask him. It's got nothing to do with anything else.
"I've got no idea. When you ask me whether he's injured, he's injured. I didn't make that up. If he wasn't injured I'd say he wasn't selected. It's easy for me to say.
"He's injured and in terms of anything else that's happening, not on my radar. Not that I've heard of. If there is something I'm sure I'll hear of it, but fair to say in the last 24 hours we've been focusing on the game and the guys that are available."
While Dier was unavailable for the visit of the Clarets, Micky van de Ven was back on the bench following his layoff with a hamstring problem, but Ben Davies and Emerson Royal were still given the nod from the first whistle as Postecoglou's makeshift central pairing.
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In a game of few clear-cut chances, a wonder strike from Pedro Porro in the second half punched Spurs' ticket to the fourth round, but the victory came at a cost, as both Davies and Giovani Lo Celso pulled up with injuries.
Postecoglou admitted that Davies's hamstring concern could keep him out for a while, but he is optimistic that Lo Celso has avoided a serious concern, adding: "Yeah, Ben Davies looks like he done his hamstring. So, it looks like he will be out and Gio has a bit of tightness but hoping it is nothing serious."
Injury-plagued midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur also looked a little worse for wear as he was taken off in the 83rd minute, but Postecoglou played down concerns over the Uruguayan's condition.
"Yeah he's fine. He was just fatigued. Obviously hasn't played and probably played more than we wanted him too but he felt fine," the Australian said of the former Juventus midfielder.
Friday's game also saw Ryan Sessegnon make his first appearance of the season after undergoing thigh surgery over the summer, but Van de Ven was only an unused substitute.
Tottenham now have eight full days to recover before they return to Premier League action away to Manchester United on January 14.
Ben Knapton
