Tottenham have returned to training after the international break for their first session with new manager Jose Mourinho.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss has taken over from Mauricio Pochettino in the Spurs hotseat following the Argentine’s sacking.
And the first-team players looked concerned as they arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre to begin life under the new gaffer.
Mourinho is a serial winner but has a reputation for being a hard task-master who has experienced some spectacular bust-ups with his players in the past.
Paul Pogba, Mesut Ozil and Juan Mata have all felt the Portuguese manager’s wrath, so the Spurs players are sure to be on their best behaviour in order to make a good first impression.
Eric Dier, Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen all looked stony-faced as they arrived at the training complex, with trio all having been linked with moves away from the club this season.
Tottenham had looked to sell Rose in the summer but the left-back wants to see out the final 18 months of his contract while Vertonghen’s deal runs out at the end of the current campaign.
The Belgian’s centre-back partner Toby Alderwerield and Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen are also out of contract, so their futures could be greatly impacted by Mourinho’s initial decisions after taking over.
The 56-year-old praised the squad upon his appointment, having inherited an experienced and talented team after Pochettino’s five years in charge.
“I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters,” he said.
“The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me.
“Working with these players is what has attracted me.”
Speaking about Pochettino’s departure, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said: “We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the Board has taken lightly, nor in haste.
“Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.
“It falls to the Board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the Club’s best interests.”
Mourinho has now signed a deal keeping him at the club until 2023, with his first match away from home against West Ham on Saturday.