It’s only been four years since Tottenham went to Old Trafford and thrashed Manchester United 6-1, but only two players remain from their starting line-up that day, underlining the wholescale changes at the club since Jose Mourinho sat in the dugout.
Mourinho enjoyed his return to his former club, as Spurs kicked off the behind-closed-doors lockdown campaign in fine fettle. But Spurs’ big win was no signpost of how things would end up that season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer leading Manchester United to a runner-up placing while Mourinho was sacked before an eventual underwhelming seventh-place finish.
We’ve revisited Tottenham’s line-up that day and checked in on where they’re at today, four years on.
GK: Hugo Lloris
The former France captain left Tottenham after 11 years and almost 450 appearances last December, having fallen behind Guglielmo Vicario in the pecking order following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou.
“I needed something new, something different,” he explained on his decision to join MLS outfit LAFC.
“I had great moments in Europe. I was just looking for different opportunities, to experience a new continent, to experience a new life as well.”
The 37-year-old has been a near ever-present between the sticks for LAFC in the 2024 MLS campaign. They’re currently second in the Western Conference table, behind city rivals LA Galaxy, and are set to compete in the MLS Cup play-offs.
RB: Serge Aurier
The infamously erratic Ivorian has turned out for Villarreal and Nottingham Forest since leaving Tottenham in 2021.
Midway through last season he joined Galatasaray and played a fringe role in their Turkish Super Lig title victory, but he’s since departed the club and currently finds himself a free agent once again.
CB: Davinson Sanchez
At Galatasaray, Aurier briefly reunited the Colombia international, who was a regular starter in the Mourinho era at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Nowadays Sanchez finds himself as a direct adversary of his old boss, having remained at Galatasaray for a second season following his €9.5million move away from Spurs last summer.
CB: Eric Dier
Like Lloris, long-serving Dier fell out of favour in the early months of Postecoglou’s reign – his lack of pace making him ill-fitted to the Australian’s famously high line.
“Obviously, after the first six months of the season, to be playing in a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid is something I am very proud of,” Dier reflected.
“I always believed in myself and always believed I should be playing at this level and yes, I kept a bit of blind faith in the first six months of the season and I am proud of the way I carried myself in those six months and that is what has enabled me to be in this position now.”
The 30-year-old could legitimately consider himself unfortunate to miss out on England’s Euro 2024 squad, having been entrusted to play a key role under Thomas Tuchel. But he’s taken a step back to the periphery under new boss Vincent Kompany, making just two substitute appearances amounting to 30 minutes so far this season.
LB: Sergio Reguilon
It’s all too easy to forget that the Spanish left-back remains a Tottenham player following his series of iffy loans away to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford.
He’s yet to play a minute of football under Postecoglou, but he was named on the bench for Spurs’ recent League Cup victory over Coventry. A fourth loan away, or a permanent move, is surely on the cards for January.
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DM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Another one-time regular that had to stomach less of a guaranteed role under Postecoglou, experienced Dane Hojbjerg is currently out on loan at Marseille.
The Ligue 1 outfit have made a solid start to the 2024-25 campaign under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, unbeaten and up there at the top of the table alongside PSG and Monaco.
CM: Moussa Sissoko
Sissoko departed Tottenham when his contract expired at the end of the 2020-21 campaign. He joined newly-promoted Watford on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal, but left for Nantes following their relegation.
The 35-year-old is now back for a second stint at Vicarage Road, offering considerable experience in the heart of midfield for Tom Cleverley’s promotion-chasing Hornets.
CM: Tanguy Ndombele (Dele Alli, ’69)
Once Tottenham’s record signing, Ndombele never delivered on his big-money fee – but there was the occasional spark, such as his role in the mauling of Manchester United, that suggested he might just come good.
Unfortunately those box office days never occurred quite often enough and after five years and three loans away, Ndombele’s contract was terminated in the summer. He’s since returned to France, having signed a two-year deal with Nice.
It’s weird that he was ever substituted for Dele, with the two players’ time with Spurs feeling as though they belonged to distinctly different eras. The one-time fan favourite hasn’t had an easy time of it since his departure, having spoken candidly about his troubles with injury and addiction, but he’s revealed he’s ambitiously targeting a sensational England return for the 2026 World Cup.
After being released by Everton in the summer, Dele is currently searching for a new club. We’d love to see him come good and enjoy a renaissance.
FWR: Erik Lamela (Lucas Moura, ’46)
The Argentinian sh*thouse supremo spent three years with Sevilla, winning a customary Europa League while there, following his 2021 exit from Tottenham. Nowadays he’s at AEK Athens alongside Anthony Martial, who was sent off in the famous 6-1.
Lucas Moura made more appearances under Mourinho at Spurs than any other player, but found himself less favoured by subsequent coaches. He was released last summer and is now back at his hometown club, Sao Paolo, with whom he’s won a Brazilian Copa and Supercopa.
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ST: Harry Kane
Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer’s agonising wait for silverware might be ongoing but he’s not doing too badly for himself since his club-record sale to Bayern Munich last year.
The England captain has notched 54 goals and 17 assists in just 52 appearances for the Bavarian giants, while last season he became the first Englishman to claim the European Golden Shoe since Kevin Phillips in 2000.
FWL: Son Heung-Min (Ben Davies, ’73)
Son scored two goals and assisted Kane for another in that 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United, one of his finest performances in a Tottenham shirt. He’s now approaching a decade of wonderful service to the club, having scored over 150 goals and played over 400 matches since he signed from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.
His replacement that day is the only other player from that squad that remains something of a regular under Postecoglou, Davies is by no means a guaranteed starter but continues to provide usefulness as a squad player.