Tottenham boss Thomas Frank says Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence have apologised to him after the pair subbed the manager when leaving the pitch following defeat by Chelsea.
After the 1-0 loss on Saturday, Frank encouraged his players to do a lap of appreciation around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But as fans booed the players off the pitch, cameras caught Van de Ven and Spence ignoring their manager and instead going straight down the tunnel.
“Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday and just said they wanted to say sorry for the situation,” said Frank in a news conference on Monday.
“They didn’t want it to look bad or any misconception that you can get in this beautiful media world.
“So there was no disrespect meant at all towards me or the team. They were just frustrated with the performance from us and the booing during the game.”
Van de Ven and Spence’s behaviour has been criticised by some fans and pundits, while others suggested the incident has been blown out of proportion.
Frank, 52, added he is pleased that his players came to him and prevented an escalation of the issue.
“If they didn’t come in, of course I would have had to ask them about the situation they are working in. How they are feeling, why they are doing it? Because we all have a perception,” he said.
“Whether it was because their mum wasn’t well or they didn’t like the head coach or they were irritated by the performance because they lost, or whatever.
“Of course, I am happy that they were coming in because that means they care – I think that is very good. They care about the team, the club and, in this case, me. I am happy with that.”
When asked about the incident in his post-match interview, Frank said he understood his players’ “frustration” and added that it was a “small issue”.
But the problem has coincided with a run of chequered form and a downturn in fan mood.
It is understood Spurs are satisfied it wasn’t a slight on Frank but instead more a show of frustration of what had developed and a build-up of negativity from fans at their home stadium over previous weeks.
Frank’s side have not won at home in the Premier League since the opening day of the season – a 3-0 victory over Burnley.
They have just three wins in their past 19 games (four draws and 12 losses) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across former manager Ange Postecoglou and now Frank’s tenure.
In England’s top four tiers, only Southampton have won fewer home games than Spurs in this period.
Frank said he now considers the matter closed as his side aim to get their home form back on track when they host Copenhagen on Tuesday in the Champions League.-BBC
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