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The Kenyan international manager has spoken about a conversation he had with Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino after Victor Wanyama withdrew from his country's squad.

The midfielder made his first start of the season on Sunday in the Premier League defeat to Chelsea, having recovered enough from a knee injury picked up in a friendly against PSG during Spurs' pre-season tour of the USA.

Wanyama fell below his normal standards during the loss to Chelsea and now he has withdrawn from his country's international squad for the friendlies against Mozambique, Togo and Mauritania.

Kenya manager Stanley Okumbi has revealed on the country's football federation's website that he had had a conversation with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino about the player.

"Wanyama was injured during pre-season and we watched him struggle against Newcastle United and Chelsea," he said. "I talked to him and we agreed that he be left out of the team so that he can work on his fitness.

"I also talked to the Spurs manager and he stated that Wanyama was struggling in terms of fitness. The coach suggested that we give him more time to work on his fitness because he's a little behind schedule following the injury he picked during pre-season."