Micah Richards has urged Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank to drop Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven over their full-time antics following a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The North London side lost narrowly to their city rivals on Sunday, but it was the events after the final whistle that drew most of the attention.
As they headed for the tunnel following Tottenham’s third defeat of the Premier League season, Spence and Van de Ven appeared to snub Frank while he tried to direct them towards the home supporters.
The Danish tactician was then seen glancing back at the £160,000-a-week pair as they walked off the pitch instead of applauding the crowd, with Richards branding the moment an 'absolute disgrace'.
The footballer-turned-pundit urged Frank to make a decision over the duo ahead of their next game, a Champions League clash with Copenhagen on Tuesday, saying Van de Ven and Spence showed ‘a lack of respect’ for the manager.
Richards Urges Frank to Drop Van de Ven and Spence
Richards, speaking on The Rest is Football, said he ‘wouldn’t play’ Spence and Van de Ven in Tottenham’s next game following the incident on Sunday:
"But if they're disrespecting the manager like that, it's an absolute disgrace. And if they did, I wouldn't play in the next game.
"I really wouldn't, because Thomas Frank's not that sort of person who causes that confrontation, so that's just a lack of respect."
Frank addressed the incident after the match and played it down, saying:
"All the players are of course frustrated. They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that."
Tottenham were booed off the pitch following the 1-0 loss on Sunday, with Joao Pedro’s first-half goal proving decisive for the visitors.
The North London side struggled to create chances and registered just three shots on goal compared to Chelsea’s 15, including nine on target.
Spurs have secured just three wins in their past 19 games at home and will next host Manchester United on Saturday, following Copenhagen’s visit in the Champions League on Tuesday.
They have dropped to fifth in the Premier League following the defeat, level on 17 points with Chelsea and eight points behind leaders Arsenal.