United States manager Mauricio Pochettino has hit back at criticism over the way he informed players whether or not they had made his 26-man squad for the World Cup.
According to The Athletic, the former Tottenham and Paris St-Germain boss emailed players who were left out.
In contrast, Pochettino sent video messages to the 26 players included in the squad.
Speaking on ESPN’s Futbol Americas show, former US forward Herculez Gomez – who praised ex-US manager Jurgen Klinsmann for informing him of his omission from the 2014 World Cup squad via voicemail – said it was inexcusable for Pochettino not to call those players he cut.
Pochettino defended himself during a news conference, arguing that players would not want to speak to him immediately after being cut.
“When I was a player, when I didn’t make the roster I didn’t want my coach to call me,” Pochettino said.
“The players who didn’t make the roster, they don’t want to hear me say ‘I apologise’. What are you going to say? Am I going to lie?
“I care. Do you know why I care? Because during [the past] two weeks I didn’t sleep.
“And today, still I cannot enjoy the 26 guys that are in front of me, because I am thinking of players that are out.
“If I call, it’s about myself. I say, ‘Oh, I call, I am very human about calling and then giving an explanation’.”
The World Cup co-hosts open their Group D campaign against Paraguay on 13 June before matches against Australia and Turkey.
