Berbatov axed as Ramos gets tough

Dimitar Berbatov was left out of Tottenham's squad for their Premier League clash against Sunderland on Saturday as boss Juande Ramos finally lost patience with the unsettled striker.

Ramos believes Berbatov has been a disruptive influence in the dressing room since Manchester United declared their interest in the Bulgarian and claimed he was not “focused enough” to feature at White Hart Lane this weekend.

Berbatov, who came on as a substiute in Tottenham's opening day defeat at Middlesbrough, has handed in a formal transfer request and Ramos had planned a meeting with him to discuss his future on Sunday.

However, Ramos's decision will only speed Berbatov's departure if United or Barcelona, who are also interested, agree to meet the club's 30 million pounds (37.6 million euros) asking price.

“As I said on Thursday, I needed to wait and speak to the player when he returned from international duty and then make a decision about whether or not he was right to play in this game,” Ramos said.

“I have not selected him as I do not think he is focused enough and I do not feel that he will be good for the dressing room and the team effort.

“It doesn't matter how good a player is, if he is not in the right frame of mind, then he will not perform well. The only thing I concern myself with is picking the best team to try and win the game.

“I shall talk to the player on Sunday, he is our player and we shall work with him at training.”