Jose Mourinho has suggested that Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele does not push himself to the limit in terms of sacrifice and ambition.

Mourinho slams Ndombele

The £45m-valued Frenchman played the full 90 minutes against Newcastle on Sunday as Spurs could only manage a 2-2 draw despite leading 2-1.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho was unhappy with Ndombele's level of commitment even though he called him a talented player. The Portuguese boss said (via Metro Sport):

"Tanguy, I have to be honest, Tanguy is the kind of guy that you always expect more from than what he gives me. Because he is so talented, that you always expect more, more. Because the talent is amazing.

"I think by the talent point of view, by the creation in midfield, by the vision, he is second to nobody in this moment in European football. But the feeling is that he always has more to give, he never reaches the limit of the effort, the sacrifice, even the ambition. So he is the guy I love him as a player, but he frustrates me a little bit, because I think he can be much better than what he is.

"I think when I see, for example France, and Tanguy was not playing, I don’t blame Didier [Deschamps], I blame Tanguy. Because he is better than the other guys, he should show that every day in training, in every match. So, of course all the three can help us to do well."

Regular theme

This is not the first time Mourinho has had something to say about the form of Ndombele - last season, after he took over from Mauricio Pochettino, he questioned the France international's ability to succeed in north London (football.london).

Ndombele has been an important player for Spurs this term, making 27 appearances in the Premier League (Transfermarkt). However, Mourinho continues to demand more.

To an extent, parallels can be drawn with the manager's treatment of Joe Cole during his first spell at Chelsea - in the end, he got more out of the former England international than any other boss could (talkSPORT). Perhaps Mourinho is hoping he can repeat the trick with Ndombele.

In other news, Daniel Levy is planning a move for this star in the summer.