A young Tottenham mascot made a bold plea to Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, asking the Dutch defender to join Spurs amid their defensive crisis.
The cheeky exchange took place in the tunnel as several Tottenham mascots lined up before the match.
As Van Dijk returned to the Liverpool dressing room following his warm-up, one mascot seized the opportunity to make an unexpected recruitment pitch.
“Van Dijk come to Tottenham we haven’t got any good defenders at the moment,” the young mascot was heard shouting.
Virgil van Dijk was asked to join Tottenham by one of the mascots
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The Liverpool captain responded with a smile to the candid appeal.
Sky Sports presenter Mark Chapman was left in hysterics at the mascot’s daring request.
“The mascots are being very honest to the Liverpool players,” Chapman remarked on air.
He added: “They are the best value mascots in the league at Tottenham, they always entertain every single week when they are at home.”
The mascot’s appeal came amid a significant defensive crisis at Tottenham, with several key players sidelined through injury.
Virgil van Dijk is seen as one of the best defenders in the world
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First-choice centre-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are currently unavailable.
The situation has been further complicated by the absence of back-up defender Ben Davies and first-choice left-back Destiny Udogie.
These injuries have forced Tottenham into fielding a makeshift defence, with midfielder Archie Gray partnering Radu Dragusin in central defence.
Full-back Djed Spence has also been recalled to action, starting the semi-final first leg at left-back.
Despite their defensive frailties, Tottenham kept a clean sheet as they pulled off an impressive 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Lucas Bergvall gave Spurs a narrow advantage heading into the second leg next month at Anfield.
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Tottenham pulled off an impressive 1-0 win
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It’s only the second defeat of Arne Slot’s reign as Liverpool head coach and the Dutchman will be hoping to get back to winning ways in the FA Cup this weekend against Accrington Stanley.
Meanwhile, Tottenham face a potential banana skin third-round tie against National League side Tamworth.