Mauricio Pochettino has warned his young English midfielder Harry Winks that if he is to become a regular for club and country then he needs to dedicate himself to football and “not the business around football”.

The Tottenham Hotspur manager also said that Winks, 22, who has one England cap, would have to learn to play “with pain” and that in the life of a professional it is almost impossible to be completely fit and pain-free for every game. Winks is in contention to start Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Liverpool, having made three substitute appearances this season following a long injury lay-off that claimed the final three months of last season.

Winks injured an ankle against Crystal Palace in November and struggled on to the end of February, playing his last game against Rochdale in the FA Cup fifth round on Feb 28. He eventually had surgery in May and went to Qatar to work on his rehabilitation. Pochettino chose his words carefully at the club’s training ground this week, praising the player but also warning him that he needed to make sacrifices if he was to fulfil the potential that many, including England manager Gareth Southgate, believe he has.