Ryan Mason has revealed that Oliver Skipp is very lucky as the high challenge from Diogo Jota, which left him needing stitches on his forehead, could have done a lot more damage.
Jota caught Skipp on the forehead with a high boot last Sunday in what seemed like a clear red card offence but the Liverpool forward got away with it and to rub salt into the wounds, the Portugal international netted a stoppage-time winner for the Reds.
Mason revealed that Skipp sustained some gashes in his forehead and needed around 10 stitches but admitted that the challenge was perilously close to the midfielder’s eye.
The interim Spurs head coach told Football.London about the 22-year-old: “He is a very, very lucky boy.
“He had a couple of gashes in his head, needed near to 10 stitches and we are talking about a couple of inches away from an eye problem.
“I think the overall feeling this week is we are quite grateful Skippy is okay and it’s nothing too serious.”
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Mason himself knows only too well about the dangers of a head injury, with his career being forced to a premature end when he sustained a fractured skull.
When asked about his own experience, the 31-year-old responded: “Obviously a different situation, different moment as well.
“One was with a head, one was with a boot so the dangers are different. At the same time the head is a vulnerable part of the body.
“We continue to see that. Thankfully Skippy is okay. He is in contention and has trained this week.”
When Mason complained about the incident following the 4-3 loss at Liverpool and questioned why a red card was not handed to Jota, Jurgen Klopp insisted that the Tottenham interim coach should be more worried about playing ‘better football’.
The Liverpool boss remarked that Spurs have too much quality to sit back and play on the counter-attack (BBC Sport).
When asked about Klopp’s comments, Mason responded: “First of all I respect and admire Jurgen Klopp. I also respect Liverpool Football Club.
“Honestly in my current situation now and regardless of what happens in my coaching career, I don’t believe I will ever be in a position where I can sit here and criticise another football club in the way they are doing things.
“I will not create a war of words. That is my opinion on it. I don’t think it will change in 20 years time.
“I don’t think I will ever be in that position or earn the right to criticise another football club for how they want to try and win the game and how they feel is the best chance for them to win the game in that moment in time.”
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Mason handled that classily while clearly sending a message on why Klopp was out of line to criticise his side for the way they were set up last weekend.
This is certainly not the first time that the Liverpool boss has criticised Spurs for counter-attacking, which I find quite bizarre.
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