Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn has admitted he's unlikely to ever secure a starting place under Antonio Conte and is willing to explore a transfer away.
The Dutchman has 22 Premier League appearances to his name this season but just four of those have come from the start. His total of 511 minutes is the fewest of any player still at the club apart from young defender Joe Rodon, with Dele Alli even seeing more before his January exit.
Conte handed Bergwijn eight minutes at the end of Sunday's 3-1 win over Leicester, which was longer than all but one of his previous six outings.
Asked by Algemeen Dagblad whether he fancies his chances of breaking into the starting lineup at Spurs, the winger said: "Here? I honestly don’t think so. The attack works well, but I don’t get to play much.
"A move to Ajax, or a return to the Netherlands would certainly be an option for me. The World Cup is coming. Mr. Van Gaal, the national coach, brought me into the team last time, even though I didn’t play much.
Listen now to 90min's brand new podcast, Talking Transfers, with Scott Saunders & Graeme Bailey. Toby Cudworth joins the show again this week to discuss how Erik ten Hag's appointment may affect Man Utd's pursuit of Paul Mitchell. There is also chat on the futures of Jesse Lingard & David de Gea and a look at what Newcastle are planning this summer.
“Then you come back to the club and you barely play. It is a shame, of course. In the summer we really have to look for a solution. We will see what is best for both parties."
Conte was asked about Bergwijn's situation after the victory and he confessed that the Dutchman deserves more minutes than he has been getting.
"It's a bit difficult to keep him on the bench because Steven is maybe... he should deserve more, but we have to try always a good balance," he said.
"He is a striker, a fantastic striker, but in this position, there is Harry and then Sonny. [Dejan Kulusevski] gives us quality and quantity, and sometimes it's very difficult. For sure maybe I'm giving [Steven] less than he deserves, and I want to be honest. Lucas played a good 50 minutes, and we have to continue in this way and prepare for an important game."
Source : 90min