Tottenham Hotspur players were reportedly left stunned when Jose Mourinho opted to omit Dele Alli from his latest squad.
Although the England international did not feature in the group which travelled to Bulgaria for their recent Europa League qualifier against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, it was expected that the playmaker would return at the weekend.
However, the 24-year-old was again absent as Spurs squared off against Southampton on Sunday afternoon, a game which they won by a 5-2 scoreline.
According to the Daily Mail, many of Alli's teammates were surprised when learning that he had been sidelined for the second fixture in succession.
Mourinho has claimed that having too many options in central midfield was the reason for the player missing out on selection.
With Gareth Bale now another option at Mourinho's disposal, Alli is being linked with a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
