José Mourinho says Eriksen’s stand-off with Spurs could affect selection | Football

José Mourinho has suggested Christian Eriksen’s chances of selection will be reduced by the uncertainty over his long-term future at Tottenham. Eriksen has been locked in a contractual stand‑off – he does not want to commit to a new deal to replace the one that expires in June – and, the way Mourinho talked, it sounded as if he were resigned to the midfielder leaving as a free agent.

“My decisions about starting him or not starting, selecting or not select, will be based on a perspective of a future,” Mourinho said. “I cannot hide that. We have a present and in football we have to focus on the present, in this case the game against Olympiakos, but it’s a club where you have to think about the future. These important decisions, obviously, they have an influence on my decisions as a head coach.”

Mourinho, who used Eriksen as a substitute in his first Spurs game – the 3-2 win at West Ham on Saturday – added: “Christian is a 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.

“The important thing is that he’s committed with us, so let’s not talk about his future. Is he leaving? Is he staying? Let’s talk about his commitment for the club and for his colleagues and for the project. He’s with us.” David Hytner