Spurs man reveals Mourinho’s comments pulled him through injury rehab

Tottenham defender Ben Davies has admitted that Jose Mourinho’s encouraging words helped him while he was recovering from his injury.

The defender sustained ankle ligament damage in the 3-2 win over West Ham back in November in what was Jose Mourinho’s first game in charge of the club.

In Davies’ absence, Mourinho tried several options at left-back with youngster Japhet Tanganga, in particular, shining in the role, despite it not being his natural position.

When the full-back was out, Mourinho revealed that the Welshman was a significant part of his plans going forward and bemoaned his absence (Football.London).

Davies missed almost three months of action before returning to the team against Aston Villa last weekend and also kept his place for the match against Leipzig on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old has admitted that hearing his manager publically affirm his faith in him helped him during the difficult rehabilitation process.

Speaking about his manager’s comments, the Spurs star told the Evening Standard: “It’s really nice to hear. It’s a massive boost to confidence and it really helped me throughout my rehab time.

“It was tough at times: the weeks go on, you try to make it shorter but it’s not always the case. To hear that does spur you on. I was delighted to get back out there.

“Some boys are injured for a long time, football moves on quick and the team goes on without you if you’re not there. Having a manager keep you in his thoughts is really good, it gives you confidence, gives you a good target to come back. It felt good.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Apart from his mistake for the penalty, Davies has had two decent games against Villa and Leipzig, especially for someone who has been out of action for so long. He is a natural fit for the left-back role in the hybrid back three/back four system that Mourinho likes to employ. I believe you will see us improve defensively as a result of his return.

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