Maurico Pochettino to cheer on England at Euro 2016 but says praise should go to Tottenham stars

Pochettino will not travel to France despite having a significant influence on the current England squad but will cheer them on from his home in Barcelona

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has trained 11 of the last 19 England debutants (Getty Images)

Mauricio Pochettino will cheer on England at the European Championship this summer, but from his sofa rather than the stands. There could be as many as five of Pochettino’s Tottenham players in Roy Hodgson’s England team, as well as others he coached at Southampton beforehand. 11 of the last 19 players to make their England debut have been coached by Pochettino and his staff, meaning that the Argentine now feels real affiliation with Hodgson’s team.

“I am happy because we have a good relationship with the coaching staff, Roy Hodgson and the coaches,” Pochettino said at his press conference this afternoon. “Not only Tottenham players, but we have a very good relationship with different players at England. When you arrive you start to create this link, and this sympathy with the national team in the country where you work.”

This sympathy does not mean that Pochettino will be there in Marseille when England face Russia on 11 June. He is likely to spend his summer back at his home in Barcelona, where he spent much of the international break, and that is where he will watch the Euros from. “Live? No. On TV, yes, from my sofa.”

While Pochettino has been praised for his contribution to the national team, he insisted that the credit should go to the players themselves rather than him. “All our players deserve the credit because it is always up to them,” he said. “We try to help, and provide the tools, but they are the principle actors. We believe in them and in English talent, but only try to enjoy it from the outside.”

Jan Vertonghen is “very, very close” to a Tottenham return, 10 weeks after damaging knee ligaments at Crystal Palace. “It is possible maybe for the next week he is ready to be selected,” Pochettino said. Spurs travel to Liverpool on Sunday.