Why did Ryan Mason retire at 26? Tottenham interim manager head injury revealed

Ryan Mason was appointed Tottenham's interim manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho on Monday. The appointment made Mason the youngest manager at the age of 29 years, 312 days old, and broke the previous record by nearly three years. Interestingly, Mason was also younger than five of Spurs' players in the matchday squad. So, why did Ryan Mason retire and what was Ryan Mason age at the time of retirement?

Why did Ryan Mason retire? Ryan Mason head injury video

Ryan Mason was forced to retire from football at the age of 26 on medical advice following the head injury he suffered during Hull City's Premier League match against Chelsea in January 2017. Mason suffered a fractured skull in a clash of heads with Cahill while defending a corner. The midfielder subsequently received treatment for around nine minutes on the pitch. The horrendous Ryan Mason head injury video below shows exactly what happened to Ryan Mason.

Mason, who underwent surgery at St Mary's Hospital in London, admitted he had 'no option but to retire.' On his official Instagram handle, he wrote, "I have worked tirelessly in order to be able to return to the pitch. Unfortunately, having taken expert medical advice, I now have no option but to retire due to the risks involved given the nature of my injury."

Mason, who joined Spurs as an eight-year-old, added that what he suffered was a life-threatening injury. "I am and always will be eternally grateful for the incredible network of people around me who have helped me to recover from what was a life-threatening injury in January 2017," said Mason. The former English midfielder began his career at Tottenham and had loan spells with Yeovil, Doncaster, Millwall and Swindon before joining Hull City in a £12m move in 2016.

Ryan Mason Tottenham interim manager makes winning start against Southampton

While Ryan Mason's footballing career as a player ended cruelly on the pitch, his footballing career as a manager began in spectacular fashion. Tottenham beat Southampton 2-1 last night despite conceding the opening goal to Southampton's Danny Ings. Ahead of the match, Ryan Mason had a big call to make as to who would lead Tottenham's attack after Harry Kane was ruled out due to injury.

Mason selected Lucas Moura and Gareth Bale to start and they did not disappoint as they combined spectacularly to score Tottenham's equaliser. The game was level until the eighty-seventh minute when Tottenham were awarded a penalty because of a late challenge on Reguilon by Djenepo. Son Heung-min converted from the penalty spot to give Ryan Mason a winning start as Tottenham's boss.