Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton believes the suspension of the Premier League campaign came at the ideal time for his former club.
When all elite-level football in England was suspended on March 13 due to growing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, Spurs found themselves on a six-game winless run, with the club having lost five times during that sequence.
Spurs, who were knocked out of both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League during that run, were also without dynamic duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, with the duo out of action through injury.
And to add even further insult to injury, a dark, grey could was still lingering above the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following head coach Jose Mourinho's decision to hang midfielder Tanguy Ndombele out to dry following the Frenchman's performance in the 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor.
All of those elements had contributed to the downward spiral that Spurs found themselves on, and it looked hard to predict just how the club would turn their fortunes around.
Now, following the lengthy period without football, Hutton, who spent three years at the club, is hopeful that the break came at the ideal time and has allowed Mourinho the chance to get things back on track.
“[it is] absolutely massive – we’ve spoken about it a lot about the injury crisis that Tottenham had and they did, we seemed to be talking about it week in, week out," Hutton told Football Insider.
“They were in dire straits a lot of the same, especially with Kane being injured, they didn’t really have that focal point, that person that was there that you knew was going to score goals, it was a real struggle.
“It looks like with all these players back, Mourinho’s going to have a headache, a good headache, of who to pick. You’ve got the likes of Bergwijn who showed flashes of brilliance as well.
“Going forward, I hate saying this because something so bad has helped Tottenham, it’s given them that little bit of time, that little bit of breathing space to get these players back. I think Mourinho will be very happy to see those guys back in training.”
