Jose Mourinho will have chased after many players in his managerial career – but surely never for the reason he sprinted after Eric Dier on Tuesday.
In the 77th minute of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup tie against Chelsea, with Spurs 1-0 down, defender Dier suddenly raced off the pitch and headed straight down the tunnel.
Manager Mourinho set off in hot pursuit and TV cameras inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium showed the manager disappearing into the changing room seconds after the defender.
So what could possibly have prompted Dier to leave the field with just over 10 minutes remaining in a cup tie his team were losing?
“Everyone can imagine!” a grinning Dier said after the game.
“I am OK but that was a first for me. There was nothing I could do about it and when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Some things you can’t stop.
“I was struggling with stomach cramps, it had got too bad.”
