Matt Doherty has told how Jose Mourinho left him alone on a bus to prove a point to Tottenham's underperformers.
The Ireland defender was bought for £16m from Wolves by the Portuguese manager in the summer of 2020.
But Doherty's time at the club coincided with a poor run of form for the London outfit which saw Mourinho make an example out of the Dubliner.
When Spurs travelled to Villa Park, Mourinho put 16-year-old Alfie Devine on the bench ahead of Doherty.
In the end Tottenham coach Ledley King had to tell the former Bohs man that he was being left behind in the car park until the game started as Covid regulations prevented him from entering the dressing room if not in the match-day squad.
"I was just sat on the bus on my own,"Doherty told the Sunday Times. "I was so close to just getting the car, because we [Ireland] were meeting in Manchester.
"I didn't in the end. I decided I'd stay and watch the game and then go. I'm glad. It's just not that professional, is it, to do that? No disrespect to kids, but there were kids on the bench.
"Obviously he was trying to prove a point to everybody not just for me."
When Mourino was sacked the following month, it paved the way for what seemed like an ideal reunion between Doherty and his old Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
But Doherty struggled to make an impact once again and became a target for the Tottenham fans.
Pretty soon the 30-year-old was playing under his third manager in two years when Antonio Conte took over at the London club.
But the Italian's reign has coincided with an upturn in fortunes for Doherty, with the wing-back starting the last five games and excelling.
Doherty has said that Conte's strict diet regimen for his players has been a factor in his return to form.
"At home, you don't dip into that sweet drawer that I'm sure everyone has," he said.
"You know you're getting weighed before a game and you know you've got some body-fat testing coming up. So you want to be switched on. You don't want to give him any excuses and you want to be ready for him."
He added: "We've all realised what an unbelievable coach he is."
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
