Mauricio Pochettino confirms Hugo Lloris will remain Tottenham captain despite drink-driving: ‘He has punished himself’

The Frenchman and Dele Alli are both out of Tottenham's clash with Liverpool on Saturday due to injury, but Harry Kane is fit

Mauricio Pochettino has said that he “cannot judge” Hugo Lloris for his drink-driving conviction, and that the French goalkeeper will stay as Tottenham Hotspur captain.

Lloris pled guilty on Wednesday, was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £50,000. Tottenham are understood to have also fined him two weeks wages for the incident.

Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, Pochettino confirmed at his press conference in Enfield on Thursday that Lloris accepts responsibility and that he “does not feel great” about the crime. But Pochettino said that it was not his or anyone else’s role to make moral judgements about incidents like this, adding that people make mistakes.

“Of course he is the first to regret about everything,” Pochettino said of Lloris. “All that happened yesterday is not good and of course he doesn’t feel great. He said that he was guilty of this situation and he’s responsible. He’s a man.”

Pochettino then sounded a forgiving note about his captain. “The most important thing is that everyone can make a mistake. He made a mistake and he’s suffered the punishment that the society [demands]. He has punished himself. We are not God, we can’t judge people.

“Only we need to try [to ensure] that he understands, and he understands that it was a mistake. Then [we must accept] we are men and women. Of course we can all make a mistake. That’s a massive lesson for everyone. For him it’s the first. He said ‘Gaffer it’s a massive lesson for me. I made a mistake and now I need to pay’. Like a man that he is, he is going to accept everything.”

But that punishment, which includes a fine, will not extend to Lloris losing the Tottenham captaincy. When Pochettino was asked about Lloris staying as captain, he replied: “Of course."

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Lloris and Dele Alli will both be missing from Spurs’ game against Liverpool on Saturday, meaning that Michel Vorm will continue in goal.

Alli was withdrawn from England duty prior to Tuesday’s friendly win over Switzerland with a minor hamstring problem, while Lloris sat out France’s matches against Germany and Netherlands in the Uefa Nations League due to a thigh injury.

England manager Gareth Southgate said he was confident that Alli would be fit in time for the resumption of Tottenham’s league campaign, but Pochettino revealed that the midfielder has not yet recovered.

“[Dele] Alli little is a bit unlucky,” Pochettino added. “He suffered a small injury after 20 minutes against Spain. We’re disappointed because we're going to miss him for this game and possibly Inter Milan in the Champions League, but [the injury] is not a big issue.”

On the subject of Lloris, the Tottenham boss said: “Hugo will have another scan to see the evolution of his injury. Hopefully it will be ok and he will be available again soon, like Dele.”

The other issue to dominate Tottenham’s international break was the question of Harry Kane’s fitness. The striker played 90 minutes for England against Spain and 29 off the substitutes’ bench against Switzerland despite fears that he has not fully recovered from his World Cup exertions.

Kane insisted while on England duty that he feels fine physically, and Pochettino is adamant that he has no concerns about the striker’s readiness to face Liverpool.

"I think he's fit,” Pochettino added. “I've not read or listened to what's going on around him, the most important thing for me is that we trust him. He's one of the best strikers in the world. When a striker isn't finding the net people need to try to find a reason why.

"Harry Kane for us is so important. [There's] No doubt he's one of the best players in England and Europe. Under our assessment he's ready to play, [though] of course that doesn't mean he will.”