Mauricio Pochettino claims Tottenham deal for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is not realistic

Mauricio Pochettino insists it is "unrealistic" to consider the possibility of Tottenham Hotspur completing any deal for Alvaro Morata.

The former Juventus striker recently revealed he spoke with the Spurs manager and Antonio Conte last summer regarding a potential move to the Premier League, although Real Madrid eventually decided to retain his services and resist the urge to quickly cash-in after exercising their €30m (£25.4m, $31.8m) buy-back clause. Chelsea, according to The Guardian, failed with an offer worth in the region of €60m.

Asked how far those talks went during a press conference held before Saturday's (15 April) visit of Bournemouth, Pochettino told reporters: "It's a special thing because I knew Morata when I started my career at Espanyol.

"The reality was that he sent a text to me when I was manager at Espanyol. He contacted me to try to get some advice and we kept a good relationship.

"He's a great kid, a very good player. But you know, I think that situation [signing Morata] is not realistic."

When asked why it was unrealistic, he replied: "It's one thing to keep a good relationship between him and me but another to think about bringing him here. I think there's no sense to it."

The shortlist for the annual PFA awards was announced earlier on Thursday and many were surprised to see influential Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli only touted for young player honours. Does Pochettino agree that the 21-year-old deserved to be in contention for the main prize alongside Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sanchez, Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante?

"I think maybe, yes," he said. "Maybe agree with you. I think yes. Alli is giving a great performance every week in every game. He has improved a lot from last season, I think he is a better player, showing better stats and in my opinion he deserves it.

"Always the people want to see in the second season if he can confirm all he showed last season and he not only confirmed that but improved all the aspects of his game. That means he is clever, intelligent, has the potential to improve and learn and today he has shown he is one of the best players in the Premier League."

As part of a six-man injury update also concerning Michel Vorm, Victor Wanyama, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Harry Winks and Erik Lamela, Tottenham revealed before Pochettino's latest media call that Danny Rose is continuing to progress well in his rehabilitation from knee ligament damage sustained during January's goalless draw at Sunderland and is "expected to start outdoor work next week".

While he is expected to factor in the league run-in, Pochettino believes that an FA Cup showdown with London rivals Chelsea at Wembley on 22 April could come too soon in his recovery.

"Maybe it is too early but we will see what happens next week," the manager added.