Tottenham have failed to sign a single player in the last two transfer windows and were forced to name Janssen on the bench for the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City at the weekend.
He was on the bench again for tonight’s visit of relegation-threatened Brighton, and fans could be forgiven for being a little bit worried as Pochettino admitted he could be given a run-out between now and the end of the season.
“Maybe,” he said when asked if Janssen can be expected to be given some first-team opportunities.
“I think [against City] was the first time on the bench as part of the team, We’ll see if he has a chance to play a little bit in the future.”
Since moving to the club from AZ Alkmaar in 2016, Janssen has scored just six goals in 39 appearances.
He spent most off last season on loan at Fenerbahce and his presence in the Spurs squad points to an alarming lack of depth.
With Harry Kane out injured, Pochettino had little choice but to dip into his reserves and any problems with Fernando Llorente could force the boss to call on the Dutch striker.
After a recent poor run of just two wins in their last eight Premier League games, Spurs can afford almost no slip-ups as they go in search of a top-four finish.
At the turn of the year, Pochettino’s side were still in the title race but now face a battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Having reached the semi-finals in this season’s Champions League where they will play Ajax, they are desperate to be in Europe’s top competition again next season and Pochettino insists finishing in the top four remains his priority.
“We’re not thinking about Ajax, like we showed [against Manchester City],” he said.
“We showed [against them] we were thinking of that competition, the Premier League.
“Now our energy is on Brighton. I think it is so clear we have two alternatives.
“One is to be in the top four at the end of the season and the other is to beat Ajax but we have to go step by step.
“That’s important. The players know it. Their behaviour and mentality is perfect.
“You know very well I don’t need to tell them. I think they were very professional against City.”
