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Back in 2020, Tottenham faced Middlesbrough in the FA Cup third round, back when José Mourinho was still in charge of the London side.

They were facing the Championship side, who had Djed Spence in their ranks, who so happened to be a favourite of the Portuguese manager’s son.

That’s a story told by the 23-year-old Tottenham loanee, currently at Genoa, in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport where he was asked about a moment he won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

The player was getting ready for the game, but was interrupted by a knock on the door of the away team’s dressing room.

He said: “And Mourinho enters: he came to me and asked me for my shirt to take to his son, who was a fan of mine. I was quite surprised, I admit. I gave him my shirt. We are talking about one of the greatest coaches in the world.”

Spence was only 19 at the time, meaning it left quite an impression on him, although he would never get to be managed by Mourinho.

The right-back was bought by Tottenham in 2022 for just under €15m when Antonio Conte was in charge, and has since been on loan to Rennes, Leeds and now Genoa in Italy, who have an option to buy in the deal.