Ange Postecoglou delivers brutally honest verdict on Tottenham transfer policy

Ange Postecoglou has admitted that his squad "can't cope" ahead of the big final meeting with Manchester United in Bilbao next week.

take on Manchester United in San Mames next Wednesday, with both finalists having suffered a desperately poor season domestically. The two teams will meet in the final currently sitting 16th and 17th in the Premier League table, just above the relegation zone.

Speaking after a 20th defeat of the season at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday, said: "There is no doubt that if we weren't in Europe, if we got knocked out pre-January and we didn't have the Carabao Cup run we did, even with our injuries, it's fair to say our league position would be better than what it is today.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

"I'm not saying we would be in the top four, but we would certainly be in a better position."

The at Hotspur Way on Monday and even made reference to the club's transfer activity.

He said: "I've had to change pretty much everything at the club in terms of playing style, in terms of the squad. It's not like I took over a team who finished third and was constantly in that echelon.

"The year before I took over we were eighth and weren't even in Europe. It's not just been 'this is the final bit', I've had to do a whole lot of other thing, a lot of heavy lifting in this last two years.,

"We signed a lot of young players with the right thinking of the future, but it's costing us now because we don't have a squad that can cope with what it's going through."

Spurs brought in teenagers , and Wilson Odobert in the summer and added further teenage stars in Mathys Tel, initially on loan, and Yang Min-hyeok in the January transfer window.

and Kevin Danso - in January - were the only senior player brought into the club during the two transfer windows this season and given the number of injuries the club has suffered this season, Postecoglou's admission is fair comment.

and Johan Lange will have work to do this summer to rectify that issue, but whether or not Postecoglou is the man at the helm to benefit will be another matter.