LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is training with Tottenham's under-21s and looking for a new club after asking to leave Spurs.
Bentaleb, 21, was a first-team regular in Pochettino's first season at White Hart Lane and he signed a five-year contract in July 2015 after protracted talks with the club.
But the Algeria international made just two league starts last year -- both in August -- in an injury-hit campaign and Pochettino revealed last month that the 22-year-old is not in his plans for the new season.
"He is training with the under-21s. He is not with the first team because he wanted to leave," Pochettino told a news conference. "I think I explained very well. If he wanted to leave, he can come and see me, I say: 'OK you can leave.' He is waiting to try to find a place away from Tottenham. But there is nothing to do. We share the changing room and the restaurants all together. It's not a problem.
"Only that the rule is very clear: If you are not part of my plans, why are you training with us? He understands very well, like any other player. It is not a big issue, not a problem. Sometimes it looks like a big, big issue, but it is very normal in football."
Sources have told ESPN FC that Pochettino was unimpressed by Bentaleb's decision to go public with his frustration about delays in contract talks in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in June 2015, while the manager has said the rises of Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele left Bentaleb down the midfield pecking order.
While Pochettino did not suggest Bentaleb's attitude has been an issue, he underlined the importance of "discipline" and "respect" ahead of the Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Asked if it was important for him to be ruthless with unwanted players, Pochettino replied: "I think the discipline is important. It is important that all players want to be part of the team, and play for the team. The discipline and the realisation are very important for success. That is very important, to show respect for everyone at the club. That is one of the principal things that for me is very important."
Meanwhile, the Spurs manager believes Erik Lamela could be set for his best season at the club after an impressive preseason and a goal at Goodison Park in the 1-1 draw last Saturday.
"We hope so. I think so," said Pochettino, when asked if Lamela was in line for his best campaign since he joined Spurs in a club-record deal from Roma in 2013.
"He is always open, he's an energetic player, he shows passion in every training session. He loves football, which he shows every day. He's desperate to run, to play, to take the ball, and that's a good thing.
"Erik needs to feel free on the pitch. Erik is not a player that you need to put in a box and you play here and you do this and that. He needs to feel free in his mind and move freely and for this reason we need to work a lot in the team to try to synchronise the movement. If not, it's difficult to move altogether and create space and play like a team.
"Erik is a good example [of a versatile player] because he can play in different positions but the most important thing is that he needs to play with freedom on the pitch."
