Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga said he was moved to tears when Jose Mourinho told him he would be making his first Premier League appearance.
The 20-year-old came through the academy at Spurs, joining when he was just ten years old, and he made his first senior appearance in the Carabao Cup defeat against Colchester in September, but had to wait to get his opportunity at the highest level.
Eyebrows were raised when he was called upon by Jose Mourinho to start the Premier League game against Liverpool last month, but despite a 1-0 defeat Tanganga won praise from pundits for his performance, and he has since appeared in five more games for the first-team, putting in assured displays on each occasion.
Speaking to Tottenham's official matchday programme, the England U20 international explained his reaction upon hearing he would be starting the Liverpool game.
"I cried before the Liverpool game, when I made my debut," Tanganga said. "They were just tears of joy and it was just overwhelming.
"I was sitting in my room and it came out but then I was like, 'come on, fix up, you have a game today', so I got up, showered and got ready.
"I had just been waiting for that moment to get my opportunity, my dad had been waiting for it too and it just hit me. If you had told me a week before the Liverpool game that I would have been playing I would have laughed. Things have changed so much."
Tanganga could well establish himself as a regular starter for Spurs, and he is reportedly in talks over a new deal which could increase his wage from £1,000 a week to £15,000 after his impressive showings.
He could feature in Spurs' next game against Aston Villa on 16 February and may also play a part in their huge matches against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last-16 followed by fellow top-four challengers Chelsea.
