How Ryan Mason overcame a near-fatal injury to land Tottenham's top job

31-year-old Ryan Mason has been appointed as interim coach of Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks, following the dismissal of previous interim coach Cristian Stellini after less than a month in charge.

Mason was reinstated in the first team backroom staff following the sacking of Antonio Conte after working with the Tottenham Academy.

The former Tottenham midfielder returns for his second spell as first-team manager after taking charge in 2021 when Jose Mourinho was sacked by Spurs.

Mason has implemented fight back into the Tottenham players, clawing back a 2-2 draw against Manchester United and coming back from 3-0 down to Liverpool to make it 3-3, despite eventually losing it 4-3 in the last minute.

Mason was the youngest manager in Premier League history when he took charge in 2021, aged 28, and looks to fit seamlessly into the shoes of a manager. However, coaching wasn't always his plan at such an early age.

Let's look at his footballing career before coaching and how he went from England international to Tottenham coach before he was 30.

Mason's career at Tottenham took a while to get going, finishing his career in the Spurs youth team in 2008 but going on eight loan deals in six years while contracted by the club.

After his final loan move at Swindon Town in 2014, Mason impressed Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino in the club's pre-season tour of the USA, earning him a place in the first team.

Mason became a staple in the Spurs' first team, making 37 league and cup appearances, scoring his first Premier League goal against Swansea City in a 3-2 victory.

Following a string of impressive performances for Tottenham and starting in the 2015 League Cup Final loss to Chelsea, Mason made his one and only England appearance against Italy on the 31^{st of} March 2015.

He made his debut with 16 minutes left to play in the game, making an instant impact, setting up Andros Townsend's goal to level the score 1-1.

After a disappointing second season for Tottenham after only making eight league starts, the English midfielder joined Hull City in the hope of playing regular Premier League football.

Halfway through the 2016-17 season, Ryan Mason's footballing career came to an end, suffering a fractured skull that required surgery after a clash of heads with Gary Cahill.

Mason underwent a successful operation on the head injury and planned to complete his rehabilitation throughout 2017 and return to play.

According to foottheball.com, after the injury, Mason had 14 metal plates in his skull, 28 screws holding them in place, and 45 staples across a six-inch scar on his head. With the extent of the injury, it was deemed unsafe for him to return to professional football.

Since retirement from football, Mason has been on the coaching staff at Tottenham, coaching the U19 team and the leading head of player development for ages U17-U23.

In his first interim coaching role in the first team after Mourinho's sacking, Mason led Spurs to the EFL Cup final, losing to Manchester City but impressed by winning three of five league games in charge.

With a talented Tottenham side possessing world-class players, Mason now has the task of building a strong defense and creating a system that allows Harry Kane and co to flourish.