Jose Mourinho Talks Christian Eriksen's Future, Says Player 'Loves the Club'

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has left Christian Eriksen's future at the club in doubt following talks, though the manager is assured his player "loves the club" as he approaches the end of his contract.

Mourinho, 56, acknowledged Eriksen's odds of starting would be "based on a perspective of a future," suggesting he won't prominently promote a player who may not have a long-term future at Spurs. 

He spoke to reporters ahead of Tottenham's UEFA Champions League clash at home to Olympiacos on Tuesday, via Football.London:

"I'm not going to tell you our conversation. Only me and him, we know what we spoke about—and Amazon."

Mourinho added: "The important thing is that he's committed with us, so let's not talk about his future. Let's not talk about what is going to happen. Is he leaving? Is he staying? Let's talk about his commitment for the club and for his colleagues and for the project and he's with us.

"My decisions about starting him or not starting, selecting or not select, will be based on a perspective of a future. I cannot hide that. We have a present and in football we have to focus on the present, in this case on tomorrow, but it's a club where you have to think about the future."

Eriksen, 27, has a deal that's due to expire next summer, and he was dropped from the XI on Saturday when Mourinho made his Spurs managerial debut in a dramatic 3-2 win at West Ham United.

The Portuguese concluded: "The important thing is that Christian staying or leaving, he's that type of guy who easily I could understand. Proper guy, loves the club, loves his colleagues, amazing colleague in the dressing room. So it doesn't matter what, he's one of us until the last day."

Spurs won't be able to finish first in Champions League Group B if leaders Bayern Munich beat Red Star Belgrade away on Tuesday. A win over Olympiacos will guarantee Tottenham's place in the round of 16.

The European clash presents an opportunity for Eriksen to make his first start under Mourinho, who spoke to BT Sport before Saturday's win and said he needed to "understand what is in Eriksen's mind or heart":

The Denmark international has been linked with Real Madrid in the past, and he may see 2020 as his opportunity to complete a major transfer as he approaches his 28th birthday in February.

Spurs blogger Chris Cowlin recently appeared on Love Sport Radio, suggesting the Dane's time in north London could be coming to an end just as Dele Alli sees his best form revived under the new coach:

Corriere dello Sport (h/t MailOnline's Kishan Vaghela) reported Juventus are ready to rival Real in the race for Eriksen, who can sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside the Premier League from January.

Mourinho's first steps in charge at Tottenham suggest a sign of commitment is needed before Eriksen returns to his former prominence, with the playmaker's best days in north London potentially behind him.