Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that it is not up to him as to whether midfielder Dele Alli stays beyond the January transfer window.
Since being substituted at half time against Everton on the opening day, the 24-year-old has played just 21 minutes in the Premier League - as a substitute against Manchester United in October.
Daniel Levy had reportedly rejected an approach from French side Paris Saint-Germain to take Alli on loan in the summer and Mourinho confirmed once again that it is up to the board to decide who stays and who goes.
"One thing is me understanding the players, another thing is the players' situation. I don't make decisions about selling A, B or C, or letting D, E or F go on loan," Mourinho told the Daily Telegraph.
"I am responsible for the players that belong to my squad and are working with me. The ones that are not playing enough time in their minds, in their ambitions, they have only one thing to do, which is to use the time they play to show me they are better than the ones having more minutes. There is no secret to that.
"I don't have any problems with Dele. I don't have any problems with anyone. I'm really happy I don't have personal issues with any of my players. Players are happier when they play. They're not happy when they don't play and I don't blame them. That's just the way it is. The concept that wins above everything is the concept that the team is more important than any one of us."
Alli is expected to start Thursday night's Europa League match against LASK Linz with both Harry Kane and Carlos Vinicius ruled out with injuries.
Oliver Thomas
