Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino insists Emmanuel Adebayor remains in his plans.
The Spurs future of the Togolese striker continues to be clouded following the recent good form of youngster Harry Kane but Pochettino says the former Arsenal and Manchester City man is a required player at White Hart Lane.
"My relationship with Emmanuel is very good, I was a player and I understand my players," Pochettino said ahead of the weekend's meeting with Crystal Palace.
"After the international break he came back with a back problem and after that he got a virus.
"I spoke with him today at training and he is not ready to play, he still felt weak - maybe in the next few games he will be ready to help the team.
"All the players in the squad are in my plans for the future. It is normal for there to be a lot speculation in the media around the players and the club but for me I don't comment on that."
This season, Adebayor has started nine times in the Premier League for two goals while appearing just twice in the Europa League.
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