Jose Mourinho has insisted Serge Aurier had the full support of Tottenham Hotspur after his decision to play against Newcastle United.
The Ivory Coast international suffered the heartbreaking news that his brother passed away in the early hours on Monday morning.
However, the Spurs right-back opted to take to the field at St James' Park, a decision Mourinho insisted he gave his full backing to.
“It’s a strong decision from him. We will always support Serge’s decision," Mourinho said ahead of the match.
"If he decided not to play until the end of the season, we would respect that. I think every person who is suffering the same, has different ways to face tragedies like this one.
"He asked us to play and tomorrow if he could see his mum and go to France tomorrow, and of course we are fully supportive.”
Jermaine Jenas concurred with Mourinho, adding it was a very brave decision and one he feels should always lie with the player themselves.
“From a footballing perspective, myself or the pundits who have been quite critical of Serge Aurier for some of his performances, but the one thing that you cannot question in this scenario is his character," he told BT Sport.
"I don’t know, personally, how I would react in that scenario. I’d find it very difficult to be focused on football right now. But, as we know as footballers, that pitch is some form of relief from your real-life feelings, at times.
"His team-mates will feel like family right now. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for putting himself out there in such a difficult time in his life.”
