Jose Mourinho Talks Tanguy Ndombele's Injury Problems at Tottenham, More

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has discussed Tanguy Ndombele's injury problems during his maiden season at the club and suggested it's time for the record signing to step up his minutes.  

Ndombele, 23, joined Spurs from Lyon in July for a club-record £55 million fee, but he's finished just five 90-minute outings in 21 total appearances.

Mourinho told reporters Ndombele "didn't have a proper pre-season" and recounted his recurring injury setbacks, agreeing that now was the time for his star to escalate his influence:

"We are taking care of him at every level. We did a 'global programme' with him to try to take care of him. We are talking about his work with the group, his individual work, his sports science, his nutrition, everything. It's like a full package to try to give him the best condition.

"He played well when he came on [against City]. He is not with [injury] problems now. He is training normally, and now it is time, instead of playing 15 or 20 minutes, to play more. So, yes [it is time for him to step up].

"He is a player with amazing quality. I don't think he can play 90 minutes. Can he start, and we take him [off] later? Can we see how Dele Alli is? Let's see."

The France international regularly dazzles with his on-ball ability and played a crucial role in assisting Heung-Min Son for Tottenham's second goal in Sunday's 2-0 win over Manchester City (US only):

Ndombele hadn't featured in any of Spurs' previous three Premier League matchups but had a vital contribution off the bench. Football writer Zito was awestruck by his motion to set up the second strike:

Regarding the playmaker's injury record, Mourinho said: "Not big things but small things which stop him and break his evolution. He played with me the first match against Norwich, and it was the only match where he played for 90 [with me]. Then he breaks again. We are trying to give him the best possible condition to not have another stop."

It's evident Mourinho holds the former Lyon ace in high regard despite it having been his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, who was at the helm when he joined last summer.

Mourinho has in the past been critical of players who don't make themselves available while carrying injuries. He was at the Manchester United helm when he questioned the characters of Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling in November 2016, and the Guardian's Barney Ronay dissected his toughened approach to the pain barrier.

It was apparent, even, when Mourinho addressed reporters in January and mentioned mentality as a prominent factor in Ndombele's hopes of a first-team return:

Tottenham moved to fifth in the Premier League following their win against City and are now undefeated in four games, their longest such run since Mourinho took charge in November.

Ndombele has played 45 minutes of a possible 450 in the Premier League in 2020. He'll hope to make his first start of the calendar year when Tottenham host Southampton in an FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday after being an unused substitute for their 1-1 draw on January 25.