Jose Mourinho says Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane probably didn’t know who Tottenham youngster Japhet Tanganga was before Saturday’s game – but they certainly do now.
The 20-year-old defender was thrown in for his first Premier League appearance as Spurs were narrowly beaten 1-0 at home by the runaway league leaders.
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Tanganga looked at home in his top-flight surroundings, kick-starting an assured performance with an early goal-line clearance to deny eventual goalscorer Roberto Firmino with only a couple of minutes played.
Predictably, Mourinho was asked about the January transfer window after the game – but he preferred to talk about his young prospect.
“The last thing I want to do after this performance is to speak about [buying new] players,” he told reporters.
“I think it is a way to show respect to these guys, not to speak about new players.
“Can we say Tanganga is a new player? He had never played a match for Tottenham in the Premier League. Today he played and today he proved that he can play for us.”
Spurs have been rocked by injuries in recent weeks.
Harry Kane has been ruled out until April with a hamstring injury, while Moussa Sissoko isn’t expected to feature for a similar amount of time.
With Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies among the long-term absentees, Mourinho would likely appreciate some incoming transfers, but he was pleased to see Tanganga assert himself against one of football’s most fearsome attacks.
“It’s a pity that he’s not a striker! It’s a pity that he’s not a midfield player, but he is one more player that we have,” he added.
“I think Mane and Salah, they know who Tanganga is [now]. They didn’t know before the game.
“I think when they saw the list [of players], they thought, ‘Oh, what position does this guy play?’
“I think now they know. The kid was really good. So instead of speaking about, crying about Harry Kane and Sissoko and Lloris and Ben Davies, let’s smile with Tanganga.”
Tanganga could be in line for more minutes in the coming weeks.
Spurs face an FA Cup third-round replay at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday, before games with Premier League strugglers Watford and Norwich.