Davinson Sanchez has suggested that he may have to leave Tottenham Hotspur in search of regular first-team football.
The 26-year-old has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of head coach Antonio Conte, with the likes of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies and Clement Lenglet all having been preferred at centre-back.
Sanchez has been restricted to just nine starts for Spurs across all competitions so far this season, but he most recently captained the side that beat Preston North End 3-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.
The Colombia international has acknowledged that he has endured a frustrating period out of the first team in recent months and believes that he may have a "decision to make" if his game time does not increase.
Speaking to the Evening Standard after Tottenham's win at Preston, Sanchez said: "I'm really happy [to be captain]. You wait for these types of moment, more when you are at the club for as long as I've been. I'm very thankful to the boys for being behind me.
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"Definitely [it has been a frustrating period]. As a player, especially at my age and knowing that I'm very capable to play in this team, I think when no gametime comes it's very hard. You're an international player as well, and looking at that situation. You don't want to disappear out of football.
"But I'm still here, I'm still competitive and I'm still showing I'm ready to play. If the manager says I deserve it, I will. If not, I'll wait for my moment and then maybe there's a decision to take. I have to show that I'm professional enough to face this situation."
The centre-back added: "The manager is very close to me and speaks to me in the right way all the time. Of course he has to take decisions in the end, like any manager.
"Every three or four days he has to take decisions on who can start games. We have to be ready always. I'm in a side that tries to be competitive in every competition, so the most important thing is we're there, pushing the boys that are normally starting at the moment and waiting for our moment.
"We have to be ready, we have to prepare ourselves in the right way so when this type of game comes we have to show ourself as well."
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Sanchez joined Tottenham from Dutch giants Ajax in the summer of 2017 for around £42m, a club-record fee which has since been eclipsed by the £55m arrival of Tanguy Ndombele in 2019.
The defender, who has less than 18 months remaining on his contract, has gone on to make a total of 135 appearances in North London across all competitions, scoring five goals.
With Sanchez's long-term future at Spurs believed to be uncertain, Ligue 1 side Nice are said to hold an interest, while Serie A holders AC Milan were linked with the Colombian last summer.
Sanchez will be hoping to retain his place in Conte's starting lineup when Tottenham lock horns with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Oliver Thomas
