Mauricio Pochettino: 'Andros Townsend exit wasn't personal'

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has said that a "professional" decision was made when the club opted to sell Andros Townsend to Newcastle United.

Late last year, it was suggested that Townsend's angry reaction to not being introduced as a substitute in a game against Aston Villa was partly the reason why the North Londoners allowed the winger to depart the club.

Townsend made the switch to Crystal Palace in the summer and ahead of his first appearance back at White Hart Lane, Pochettino has played down any suggestion that his exit from Spurs was "personal".

The Argentine is quoted by Eurosport as saying: "It is not about personal things or issues. We have spent nearly two years together here and had a good relationship.

"We took a professional decision. I think it is not an issue. We split our ways and nothing happened. As a manager, you take a lot of decisions every day. If a player's not happy because they want to play more, then they try and find another place to try and play."

Townsend began his career at Spurs and made 93 appearances for the club.