Retired midfielder Ryan Mason has claimed that Mauricio Pochettino 'improved him as a human being' during their time working together at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old, forced to call time on his career last month following 13 months out injured with a fractured skull, spent eight years in North London.

Mason enjoyed a spell under Pochettino prior to joining Hull City in 2016, and he admits that the Spurs manager's methods have shaped him into a different person for the rest of his life.

"You love playing for him, you'd run through a brick wall for him because he's a lovely man and a lovely human being," he told Sky Sports News. "Don't get me wrong I would never, ever cross him because his morals and values are so strong that if you went away from that it would be hard for him to forget it.

"But at the same time if you work hard, do what he says right and enjoy your football then he is unbelievable. Probably the biggest thing that I can say about him is that he didn't just improve me as a player, he improved me as a human being. He just changed my view on life through his values - he's a big family man, he loves creating friendship and values loyalty.

"Also when I say he changed my way of life, that way of stressing your brain I believe helped me recover from my injury because rather than feeling sorry for myself that experience of being strong mentally with him helped me to change my outlook."

Mason recently revealed that he plans to go into coaching now that his playing career is over.