Tottenham's new signing Steven Bergwijn says Jose Mourinho told him to push through the pain barrier before scoring on his debut against Manchester City.
The Netherlands international was handed his full debut just five days after sealing his £25 million switch from PSV Eindhoven.
Bergwijn wasted little time in making an impact, thumping home a chest-and-volley in the second half before Heung-min Son added a second to seal a 2-0 win over the champions.
The 23-year-old was withdrawn with cramp late in the second half after putting in a solid shift on the left-hand side.
And the Dutch forward opened up on what Mourinho had said to him to help play through the pain barrier.
“It was very hard, especially the first half, very difficult,” he told the club's official website.
“After that, I thought we played well. I had to work hard but he [Mourinho] told me ‘when you’re dead, you’re dead’, so I gave everything.
"It’s an unbelievable feeling, fantastic. I hope it’s the first of many.”
Mourinho praised Bergwijn's contribution as the "icing on the cake" after watching his new signing find the net.
"It was a debut goal that was the icing on the cake of a very good performance," he said.
"Independent of the goal I would say his performance was very good, very solid. Very mature. We worked hard during the week."
