Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel has admitted that he felt hurt after being left out of Thomas Frank’s Champions League squad.
However, he has refused to wallow in despair and has vowed to stay focused on proving himself.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Frank announced his 22-man squad for the Champions League group stage, and Tel failed to make the cut.
The decision was down to UEFA’s rules on homegrown players. Tottenham were forced to submit fewer names than the maximum 25, meaning six senior players had to miss out.
Injuries made some of those decisions easier. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Radu Dragusin are sidelined, while Yves Bissouma was left out, with the club looking to move him on.
New signing Kota Takai was also omitted from the Champions League squad, but Tel’s absence made the headlines given the investment Spurs made to sign him permanently.
Tel admits he’s hurt by Champions League snub
Tottenham paid around £30 million to sign Tel on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich this summer.
However, he played a part in helping Tottenham win the Europa League but will now have to wait for a chance to prove himself in the Champions League.
Speaking while on international duty with France’s Under-21s, the 20-year-old admitted the decision was painful but said he would not let disappointment derail his progress.
“It’s clear that when you’re not on a squad, it definitely hurts,” Tel said (via The Standard).
“But I’m someone who stays pretty positive, no matter the situation, because I think I’ve worked a lot on my mental side.
“So today it’s definitely a disappointment, I would have liked to be there. But the coach’s choice is the coach’s choice. We can only respect it, and we’ll work to come back in the best possible way.”
Tel has only played 19 minutes of Premier League football across Tottenham’s opening three games.
His opportunities may be limited further by the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.