Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed that a member of his squad is coming in on his days off to train, as the player sets a "great example" for his Spurs teammates.
Man United vs Tottenham - match preview
The Lilywhites travel to Old Trafford tomorrow after three consecutive wins in all competitions, with Postecoglou's side putting their north London derby defeat behind them in the last 10 days.
Spurs sealed their place in the next round of the EFL Cup last week, courtesy of a dramatic smash-and-grab win at Coventry City.
Djed Spence and in-form Brennan Johnson scored in the dying minutes to avoid what would've been an embarrassing defeat for Postecoglou, and returned to winning ways in the Premier League soon after with a 3-1 victory at home to Brentford.
Despite being down to 10 men for the vast majority of the game, Spurs sealed their first win in the Europa League in midweek thanks to their 3-0 drubbing of Azerbaijani champions Qarabag at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Attention now switches to Man United, as Postecoglou prepares his side to take on Erik ten Hag's Red Devils in a blockbuster clash up north. Star winger Son Heung-min has been praised by Postecoglou this week for setting the tone, but the South Korea international faces a late fitness test.
"Fair to say the boys are fairly tired, the ones who put in a shift," said Postecoglou on Spurs team news ahead of Man United.
"Apart from Sonny, everybody is okay and Sonny I don’t think is too bad. He wants to train tomorrow, and we will see how it goes and make a decision from there."
It's worth noting that Richarlison will miss Tottenham's trip to Man United, alongside Wilson Odobert, but apart from them and potentially Son, Spurs pretty much have a fully fit squad.
Postecoglou makes Guglielmo Vicario revelation at Tottenham
One player certain to start against United is mainstay No 1 goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has impressed overall since joining from Empoli on a £75,000-per-week contract.
There have even been claims that Spurs could make Vicario their future captain, akin to how Hugo Lloris wore the armband for years before ultimately moving on. Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Postecoglou has claimed that Vicario comes in on his days off to work and sets a "great example" for the rest of the squad.
"He has been great since the day he arrived," said the Spurs boss.
"Criticism is just part of the nature of football these days. We have had a few under the spotlight. I included him in the leadership [group] this year, I have just seen his growth. He is one of those guys who is really positive. He comes in every day wanting to work, he comes in on his days off wanting to work.
"He is a great example for everyone and a great human being as well. I thought he could add something to our leadership group. It’s great for him to get the armband last night and I thought he rose to the occasion. He was big for us. He hasn’t had to make too many big saves in the first few games for us but we needed him for a couple last night and he was great."