Former Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason was forced to retire on Tuesday.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has hinted to Football.London that the door will be open for former midfielder Ryan Mason to return to the club as a coach.
Hours before Spurs played out a dramatic 2-2 draw with Juventus in their last 16 Champions League clash on Tuesday, many were rocked by the announcement that Mason had been forced to retire from football.
The 26-year-old has been attempting to rehabilitate after a nightmare injury suffered for Hull City against Chelsea in January 2017, but called time on his career on Tuesday.
Whilst Mason ends his career as a Hull player, many will predominantly associate Mason with his boyhood cub Tottenham, where he came up through the ranks to eventually become a first-team player and even an England international.
Mason made a total of 70 appearances for Tottenham before being sold on to Hull in 2016, and he has Mauricio Pochettino to thank for his career turning around in 2014.
After loan spells with Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Lorient and Swindon Town, Mason appeared to be going nowhere fast at Tottenham, but Pochettino gave him an opportunity in 2014, and gave him the belief to kick on and become a Premier League regular.
Now, Pochettino has offered his thoughts on Mason’s retirement, calling him a special player as he was one of the first players to represent Tottenham’s change in approach under Pochettino’s management.
Pochettino even noted to Football.London that Mason has been at Tottenham’s training ground recently to speak to the coaching staff, and hinted that the door was open for Mason to return to Spurs as a coach – just as Scott Parker has.
“In the last few days he was at the training ground and we were talking a lot with the coaching staff and Ryan and [head of coaching and development] John McDermott,” said Pochettino. “It’s a very sad news but at the same time he opened a massive door with his future for him and his family. He’s 26 but he’s an amazing person and a football brain. He was a very successful player and he will be a very successful person and everything he wants to do, he’s going to do.
“He will always be a special player for me because he represents the change in all the processes when we arrived at Tottenham. For me, Ryan is a player that will always be special. And of course, the door is open to help him, from myself, us, the coaching staff. Because we love him, and we love Rachel [his girlfriend], George [his son] and all his family. Don’t worry Ryan, you’re going to be a successful person outside the pitch! No doubt about it,” he added.
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