Mauricio Pochettino has paid tribute to Tottenham Hotspur's young players after watching his side finish their pre-season schedule with a 2-0 victory over AC Milan.

Teenagers Josh Onomah, Harry Winks and Luke McGee were all involved as goals from Nacer Chadli and Tom Carroll earned them a win in the Audi Cup third-place playoff at the Allianz Arena, and Pochettino insists that he will continue to put his faith in academy graduates.

"We have a young squad and a lot of talent," the Spurs boss told the club's website. "This is how the club works and we have to recognise the work of all the staff, John McDermott (academy manager) and the coaches with him because this is our identity.

"We need to believe in these players, they need time, they need love, sometimes we need to be strong with them. We believe in this way.

"It is only one game but we believe 100% in our work. We need to improve more because it's only the beginning of the season and now we have to compete against Premier League teams."

Spurs will kick off the Premier League season with a trip to Manchester United on Saturday.