Despite his positive performances in pre-season, few Spurs fans would have expected Japhet Tanganga to start against Liverpool in the Premier League last week.
After a string of appearances on the bench, a match against the unbeaten league leaders seemed an unlikely Premier League debut for the defender.
However, Jose Mourinho introduced Tanganga to the line-up in order to cope with the pace of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in behind.
Tanganga had the job of marking Mane for the first hour and had clearly been told not to give the new African Footballer of the Year a single second’s peace.
He was quick into the challenge on the Liverpool man and managed to keep him quiet for most of the game, before switching to left-back and marking Salah instead.
In an interview with Standard Sport, Tanganga revealed how his dad reacted to the game, before dedicating his career to the man.
Tanganga said: “He was really pleased. I was so happy to just see the joy on his face. He’s worked so hard for years — taking me to football, sacrificing time off work, standing there in the cold watching me when it’s raining. He’s just been there. I’m so grateful for all that he’s given me. I was so happy.”
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