Mauricio Pochettino has urged the Tottenham fans to stop booing Emmanuel Adebayor.

Since his return after a two-month absence, Adebayor has received a mixed reception from Spurs supporters, with many upset that Pochettino made him captain for the Carling Cup tie against Sheffield United on Wednesday. After the 2-1 defeat by Stoke in November, Adebayor expressed the view that fans should be more supportive of the players.

Adebayor is likely to be in the squad again for tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Leicester and Pochettino wants the White Hart Lane crowd to give the forward a friendlier welcome.

“I think it would be best, because all the players need to feel the support from the stands,” said Pochettino. “It is better for him and the team. We need to create a great atmosphere to try to get success.”

Player Ratings: Tottenham v Sheffield United 13 show all Player Ratings: Tottenham v Sheffield United 1/13 Kyle Walker: 7 Gave Bob Harris, Sheffield United’s left back, plenty to think about. He never stopped looking for ways to go forward and used the overlap with Andros Townsend to his advantage. GETTY 2/13 Emmanuel Adebayor: 6 Dangerous in the first half as Chris Basham and Jay McEveley found it difficult to defend against him. He went quiet in the second half, however, and didn’t make the most the creativity behind him. Getty 3/13 Mark Howard: 6 Produced a fine save in the first half to prevent Emmanuel Adebayor heading Tottenham in front. He instructed his defence effectively and made sure Jay McEveley and Chris Basham kept tight on the Togolese striker. Getty 4/13 Ryan Flynn: 6 Faced with Christian Eriksen, the right-back was never going to have a quiet night. He will be pleased with his performance, however, as when Tottenham did look to break on the left, he was remained calm and was able to intercept the danger. Getty 5/13 Chris Basham: 5 Was put under pressure countless times in the second half when Spurs ramped up the tempo. He found it difficult to manage the strength of Emmanuel Adebayor but can be happy that he made no glaring errors. Getty 6/13 James McEveley: 5 Gave away the penalty after handling the ball in the box. If it wasn’t for that he’d have been receiving all the plaudits as he shored up his defence well. Getty 7/13 Bob Harris: 6 Kept Townsend at bay early on but also, and to his credit, chose to push on and create space for his teammates. He faded a little in the second half as Spurs relentlessly attacked his left back position. Getty 8/13 Jamal Campbell-Ryce: 6 His pace left Ben Davies at a standstill on several occasions. These are the games he revels in and it was no different at White Hart Lane. At every opportunity he looked to break forward. Getty 9/13 Michael Doyle: 6 The Sheffield United captain was fairly quiet going forward but maintained a strong structure at the heart of midfield. Getty 10/13 Stefan Scougall: 6 A constant threat for Sheffield United with his pace. Should have done better with an effort that went wide in the first half. Getty 11/13 Jamie Murphy: 6 Looked bright in early stages and worked well with Marc McNulty. Did not receive much support in the second half as Sheffield United decided to position themselves deeper in an attempt to defend against Spurs. Getty 12/13 Marc McNulty: 6 His work rate was tremendous. Even in the closing stages of the match he tracked back to defend but also made himself available when going forward. Getty 13/13 Louis Reed: 5 It was a tough evening for Reed. He kept his position well in the first half but once the second half arrived he started to find himself in a more defensive position and without a lot of service from the midfield. Getty 1/13 Kyle Walker: 7 Gave Bob Harris, Sheffield United’s left back, plenty to think about. He never stopped looking for ways to go forward and used the overlap with Andros Townsend to his advantage. GETTY 2/13 Emmanuel Adebayor: 6 Dangerous in the first half as Chris Basham and Jay McEveley found it difficult to defend against him. He went quiet in the second half, however, and didn’t make the most the creativity behind him. Getty 3/13 Mark Howard: 6 Produced a fine save in the first half to prevent Emmanuel Adebayor heading Tottenham in front. He instructed his defence effectively and made sure Jay McEveley and Chris Basham kept tight on the Togolese striker. Getty 4/13 Ryan Flynn: 6 Faced with Christian Eriksen, the right-back was never going to have a quiet night. He will be pleased with his performance, however, as when Tottenham did look to break on the left, he was remained calm and was able to intercept the danger. Getty 5/13 Chris Basham: 5 Was put under pressure countless times in the second half when Spurs ramped up the tempo. He found it difficult to manage the strength of Emmanuel Adebayor but can be happy that he made no glaring errors. Getty 6/13 James McEveley: 5 Gave away the penalty after handling the ball in the box. If it wasn’t for that he’d have been receiving all the plaudits as he shored up his defence well. Getty 7/13 Bob Harris: 6 Kept Townsend at bay early on but also, and to his credit, chose to push on and create space for his teammates. He faded a little in the second half as Spurs relentlessly attacked his left back position. Getty 8/13 Jamal Campbell-Ryce: 6 His pace left Ben Davies at a standstill on several occasions. These are the games he revels in and it was no different at White Hart Lane. At every opportunity he looked to break forward. Getty 9/13 Michael Doyle: 6 The Sheffield United captain was fairly quiet going forward but maintained a strong structure at the heart of midfield. Getty 10/13 Stefan Scougall: 6 A constant threat for Sheffield United with his pace. Should have done better with an effort that went wide in the first half. Getty 11/13 Jamie Murphy: 6 Looked bright in early stages and worked well with Marc McNulty. Did not receive much support in the second half as Sheffield United decided to position themselves deeper in an attempt to defend against Spurs. Getty 12/13 Marc McNulty: 6 His work rate was tremendous. Even in the closing stages of the match he tracked back to defend but also made himself available when going forward. Getty 13/13 Louis Reed: 5 It was a tough evening for Reed. He kept his position well in the first half but once the second half arrived he started to find himself in a more defensive position and without a lot of service from the midfield. Getty

This will be the seventh of nine games in January for Pochettino’s team, who are involved in three cup competitions as well as fighting to finish in the top four of the Premier League in order to qualify for the Champions League next term.

That means he is wary of allowing many players to leave before the closure of the winter transfer window. Kyle Naughton joined Swansea yesterday and winger Aaron Lennon could also leave, but it is hard to imagine Spurs allowing several players to depart White Hart Lane, especially with so little time remaining to secure replacements.