'You’ll get a punch on the nose!' - Ange Postecoglou jumps to defence of Brennan Johnson after Tottenham winger quits Instagram over abuse from fans

Postecoglou has vowed to "punch critics on the nose" after Johnson received a wave of abuse for his performance in Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. The 23-year-old deactivated his Instagram account after the match, with Postecoglou admitting he is "lacking a bit of confidence".

The Tottenham boss also highlighted a growing concern he has of social media abuse becoming normalised in football. The 59-year-old believes it's "sad" that players are subject to abuse from anonymous individuals.

"I hate how we've just normalised all that stuff," Postecoglou said. "You're talking about a young guy who is probably lacking a bit of confidence at the moment. Things haven't gone his way. But he comes here every day, he's working his backside off, he's asking for feedback, he's doing everything right, he's trying so hard to become the player he wants to be, it's hurting him a lot.

"It's not like he's out on the town and he doesn't care and he rolls up late. So what's his crime? His crime is he isn't performing at the level that people expect of him. As a professional footballer you've got to expect that you're going get criticism about that, that's part of your growth. He's still a young player and I think there is so much more of Brennan that we're going bring out in him.

"It's sad for me that we've kind of normalised that stuff. That getting abuse, and it is abuse and a lot of it personal, is oh well, that's part of the territory. I don't see that. I mean what kind of person writes abusive things to an individual? Criticism is one thing, exasperation at a game, you accept that. To sit down and write something abusive anonymously… say it in front of me, you'll get a punch on the nose, you won't do it again, mate.

"But they won't do that. They'll hide behind this… unfortunately that's the world we live in. When I look at Brennan and I see a young man who is trying his hardest to be the best he can be. It doesn't always guarantee success and it's part of his journey how he deals with all this. But he's a great kid, a great footballer and I'm very optimistic about what he's going to do for us."

Johnson has struggled for consistency in north London since making the move from Nottingham Forest last summer. He scored five goals in all competitions last season and is yet to record a single goal contribution this campaign.

Tottenham visit Championship side Coventry in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, a match which gives Postecoglou's side an opportunity to find some form after losing their past two Premier League games and dropping to 13th in the table.