Tim Sherwood has compared his position at Tottenham Hotspur to that of a supply teacher and admits he still does not know if he will be at the club next season.

The Spurs head coach, speaking ahead of his team’s final game of the season against Aston Villa, again faced questions about his future after midfielder Sandro told reporters this week that the manager would be leaving in the summer.

Asked how Sandro apparently knew this information, Sherwood said: “I don’t know. Maybe I’m better off asking the players about my future - he’s not the first player to say this.

“He hasn’t actually asked me, he has just offered his opinion to someone. Obviously he has a better knowledge of what is going on. I didn’t know that he had such a close relationship with the chairman. I don’t think the chairman has talked to him, but obviously someone has.

“There has been a lot of speculation going round. And it has begun to be more than that, I have had a lot of players coming to me and telling me that my agents have told us that you are not going to be here next season. So it’s a difficult situation but I have got to get on with it.”

Sherwood says no end-of-season talks have yet been organised with chairman Daniel Levy but he believes it is not unfair to judge his performance on results, despite not having a pre-season with the squad.

He said: “Well it’s not unfair (to judge me). I mean, I’ve come in and done what I’ve done, though you’re absolutely right it is imperative to have a pre-season. And also I’m doing the job with a lot of uncertainty around my position. So if you have a supply teacher that comes into your school, they’re not treated with the same respect as the headmaster is.”

Tottenham need one point on Sunday to secure qualification for next season’s Europa League, and Sherwood insists it is a competition the club want to be involved in.

He said: “It’s crucially important for everyone at Tottenham. Everyone aspires to be in the Champions League but everyone knows how hard it is to actually achieve that.

“Everyone wants to be there, the competition is getting stronger, and I think it is a great opportunity for Tottenham to maybe progress to the Champions League through the Europa League.”

A win on Sunday will leave Tottenham just three points short of last season’s record points tally of 72, and Sherwood believes he has performed well since being inserted after AVB’s sacking in December.

He said: “I think I have done alright with the situation since I took over, and with what I have done with someone else’s players.

“They’re a good squad, a lot of injuries, and key players have been missing an awful lot. I think my win percentage stands out alone - its better than anyone else’s in the Premier League, so what more could I have done really?

“Obviously we want to beat the better teams and achieve the top four but you have to play every team. It doesn’t matter how many times you beat your Manchester City’s or your Liverpool’s. You have got to play the rest and you have to beat them.

“I think the points accumulated when I have been in charge takes us in to the top four, but I’m not sure if I could have done to much more.”