Hugo Lloris talks about Pochettino in first interview since the Argentine was sacked

Tottenham Hotspur welcomed back their captain on Wednesday night against Norwich City at home when Hugo Lloris was recalled the starting line-up.

Lloris had been out injured since October when he dislocated his elbow playing against Brighton in the Premier League.

This meant that the Spurs captain was in the injury room when Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board.

Spurs appointed Jose Mourinho less 24 hours later, with Lloris playing his first match under the new head coach earlier this week.

It has been well documented that Lloris and Pochettino were very close at Tottenham, with the Frenchman even stating previously that his future was tied to the Argentine’s (ESPN).

In his first interview since Pochettino’s sacking, Lloris was keen not to dwell on his previous head coach too much, but did take the time to show his respect for the work done by the 47-year-old and his team.

Hugo said (Standard): “To be honest I’m the kind of guy who looks forward and I just want to be focussed on today, so it’s not the right moment to talk about [Pochettino].

“You know how close I am with Mauricio but at the same time I’m involved 100 per cent and I will give my best with Jose Mourinho.

“It’s the minimum you can give to the manager. In the end, we all want the success for the club.

“We know it’s not the best season of the last five years but we need to stick together, carry on and get the maximum points possible.

“We know it’s not easy [for a manager] to come in the middle of the season. Like all my teammates, I have such a deep respect for what Mauricio Pochettino has done for the club and his staff.

“He’s one of the best managers in the world and we wish him all the best. He’s a fantastic man and hopefully we’ll see him soon in a new club.

“It’s a great opportunity to work under Jose Mourinho. He’s one of the best and most successful managers of the last 20 years and it’s a great opportunity to work under him but it all depends on the players. The energy is from the players, the focus, the concentration, the performance. He’s here to help us but we need to give everything for him.”

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