Attention, Pochettino: Rafael van der Vaart admits he wants Spurs return, but not as a player

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Tottenham Hotspur favourite Rafael van der Vaart is interested in a coaching role with the club.

Rafael van der Vaart

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has told ESPN that he would like to return to the club as a coach one day.

Van der Vaart, now 34, is currently playing in Denmark with FC Midtjylland, but he saw two of his former clubs face off on Tuesday night as Real Madrid hosted Tottenham in the Champions League.

Tottenham claimed an unlikely point at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Harry Kane’s strike – which may go down as a Raphael Varane own goal – giving Spurs the lead, before Real Madrid equalised with a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

Rafael van der Vaart in action for Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs managed to more than hold their own against the European champions, and manager Mauricio Pochettino deserves huge credit for the way in which his side performed at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Van der Vaart felt that Spurs could get a result in the Spanish capital, and he was proven right – but he may yet have his sights set on a return to the North London side.

The Dutchman, who joined Spurs from Real on deadline day in August 2010, was a Spurs fan favourite with 28 goals in 77 games for the club before re-joining Hamburg in 2012, and after a spell with Real Betis, he is now in Denmark with Midtjylland.

Rafael Van Der Vaart

As he approaches the final stages of his career, the playmaker has one eye on coaching, and has told ESPN that he would love to return to Spurs as a coach.

That may be something of a come-and-get-me-plea to manager Pochettino, and it remains to be seen whether the Spurs boss pursues a deal to bring Van der Vaart back to Tottenham, but the former Ajax ace added that he still has a special feeling about Tottenham that simply doesn’t go away.

“I love working with young players and if I do coaching, Tottenham would be a good place because it is always in my heart, said Van der Vaart. “Whenever I can I watch their games on television. I still have a special feeling. That feeling, it never goes away,” he added.