Mauricio Pochettino tells Tottenham players to put safety before football as Spurs training continues

Touching base | Mauricio Pochettino has delivered some words of advice to his former Spurs players
Action Images via Reuters

Mauricio Pochettino has been in contact with his former Tottenham players telling them not to put themselves at risk for the sake of football during the coronavirus pandemic.

Contrary to many Premier League squads, Spurs - now under Jose Mourinho following Pochettino's dismissal in November - have continued to train at Hotspur Way this week.

Spurs are not on their own: Burnley have continued to train this week, while West Ham returned to Rush Green for training yesterday - though no players or staff were allowed into the main building.

However, as wider society continues to come under stricter social distancing instructions, and with the Premier League and FA having pushed the suspension of elite level football back to April 30, Pochettino has been in touch with his former charges telling them to take care of themselves before considering football.

“I told them that there is no need to be at risk and that football takes second place to health,” Pochettino told Radio Del Plata.

“It seems good to me that measures have already been taken. It is the best way to try to control the virus until a cure is found.”

Pochettino, who lives in Barcelona, has also hit out at European leaders for a slow reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“They handled themselves irresponsibly and made late decisions,” he said.

“I understand that the economic aspect comes into play in football and is a deciding factor much of the time, but seeing everything that is happening, I think that in Europe, they managed irresponsibly and made late decisions.”

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