Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann has insisted that if he wanted to sell Tottenham Hotspur target Jeremy Toljan then he would have told the player.

The 22-year-old full-back earned widespread praise for his performances in Germany’s Under-21 European Championship winning campaign earlier in the summer.




And it has led to interest from the Premier League’s Tottenham, and even Chelsea and Napoli have been linked with making a move for the left-back during the summer window.

Toljan was left out of the squad for Hoffenheim’s 2-1 friendly win over Derby County during the weekend and many felt it signaled the player’s probable departure from the club.
 


However, Hoffenheim’s 30-year-old coach Nagelsmann stressed that he would not resort to such childish ways if he wanted to indicate a player was leaving.  

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The German told Bild when asked whether Toljan’s exclusion was a signal towards his probable departure: “No.

“There is no signal when I don’t take players [for certain games].

"If I want a player to leave I tell him it to his face and not act like a little boy by not selecting him.

“That would be a sign of weakness in my leadership for me and I don’t believe in it.”

Toljan has a contract until the end of next season with Hoffenheim, but the club remain keen on holding on to him this summer.