‘Judging by Hojbjerg’s comments’ – Pundit believes Spurs players knew of Nuno’s fate

Paul Robinson has claimed the Tottenham squad would have ‘had an inkling’ Nuno Espirito Santo could be sacked after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United. 

The Portuguese coach oversaw his final game in charge of Tottenham against United on Saturday, before being relieved of his duties on Monday. 

The clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium brought out a raucous atmosphere as Spurs were brushed aside by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. 

After the game, midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was pressed on what went wrong during the encounter, to which he cautiously said he would have to be careful with his response and not say too much. 

Less than two days later, Nuno and his team were dismissed, and the former Wolves boss has since been replaced by Italian coach Antonio Conte. 

The Dane’s comments have been picked up on by former Spurs goalkeeper Robinson, who believes the players had strong a feeling Nuno would be sacked after that particular defeat. 

Robinson told Football Insider: “I’m not sure if the players knew officially that if Nuno lost that game he was out. 

“But I think they had an inkling judging by [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg’s comments. You get a feeling when you are at a club.

“Let’s be honest, when you don’t have a shot in the second half away at West Ham and then follow it up by not having a shot on target against Man United at home, the manager is in trouble. That is just unacceptable.

“It is miles away from where they want to be and miles away from where they should be. To not have a shot on target in over two hours of football when you have one of the world’s best strikers in your team is unforgivable.

“The players will have known he was on the brink.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

In all honesty, it was pretty obvious that Nuno was on the verge of being sacked. The appointment was just the wrong fit all around right from the start and it was a dismissal waiting to happen. With Conte at the helm now, Spurs must capitalise on having a manager of his quality. 

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