Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has paid a warm tribute to his former protégé Ryan Mason, who has been forced to retire at the age of 26 with a recurring head injury.

The central midfielder, who joined Hull City in 2016, was a pivotal figure in Pochettino’s first season at Tottenham in 2014-15. And in the immediate aftermath of their 2-2 draw against Juventus in the Champions League, Pochettino was keen to send his regards to Mason, assuring him that the “door is always open” for Mason to work with the Spurs coaching staff.

There were also some poignant recollections from Pochettino about a player who he discovered in the depths of despair when he joined the club in the summer of 2014, but went on to become a mainstay of the Tottenham midfield, and an England international.

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“I remember very, very well how we found him,” Pochettino remembered. “The first day, in the gym, sitting with his head down, and so sad. I asked Jesus [Perez, his assistant]: ‘Who is this guy?’ He says, ‘Ryan Mason’. The last five seasons, he was always on loan but never played, because he suffered a lot of injuries.

“And OK, it was difficult, because from the beginning he had to cope with the training sessions, which as you know are very tough. We went to America, and I met him in the airport. And after only 30 minutes, I said to Jesus, ‘Wow, I love Ryan. I don’t know if he plays well or not, but I love him as a man!’

“Then the first game we played in Seattle, after only a few training sessions, he understood everything. The tactics, the movement, the timing, things that another player would need one season to understand. The concept. And then it was easy, because he started to show great quality, and was a great help.”

A few months later, after some glowing reports from academy coach John McDermott, Mason began to break into the first team. He scored his first Tottenham goal in the League Cup against Nottingham Forest, prompting Pochettino to throw him in for his Premier League debut: against Arsenal, at the Emirates.

“We said to John McDermott: you’re responsible too!” Pochettino smiled. “You think he can cope with the pressure? John McDermott said yes, of course. If you put him in on Saturday, he is going to give his best.”

Mason went on to make 66 appearances over the following two seasons before joining Hull for around £13m, having seen the arrival of Victor Wanyama force him down the pecking order. But Tottenham remained in close contact, sending him their regards after the horrific fractured skull he suffered in a clash of heads with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill over a year ago. On Tuesday came the news that his injury would end his career. Tottenham fans in Turin launched into a chant of “There’s Only One Ryan Mason” during the game against Juventus.

“It is very sad news,” Pochettino said, ever eager to look on the positive side. “But at the same time, he opens a massive door for his future with his family, with George, his new boy. He is 26, but he is an amazing person and a football brain. He was a very successful player, and he will be a very successful person with everything he wants to do.

“For me, he will always be a special player. And of course the door is always open to help him. Myself, us the coaching staff, and the club. Because we love him, and we love [partner] Rachel, George and all his family. Don’t worry, Ryan: you are going to be a successful person outside of the pitch.”