Coronavirus: Mourinho admits Ndombele training session broke government protocol

Jose Mourinho has acknowledged he was in breach of the UK government's COVID-19 guidelines when he conducted training exercises with Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele on Tuesday.

The Spurs boss was pictured on Hadley Common in north London putting the club's record signing through his paces, with the images soon shared across social media.

Government regulations designed to combat the spread of coronavirus state people should only exercise with members of their own household.

"I accept that my actions were not in line with government protocol and we must only have contact with members of our own household," Mourinho said.

"It is vital we all play our part and follow government advice in order to support our heroes in the NHS and save lives."

Stats Perform understands Mourinho sought to respect social distancing instructions by remaining a minimum of two metres apart from Ndombele, although the fact the France international – a player the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss has publicly criticised – is from a different household makes this point somewhat moot.

Spurs have been doing regular work with their players online during the Premier League's hiatus, sharing videos of those sessions via their social channels.

Last month, Mourinho volunteered to help Age UK and Love Your Door Step prepare food parcels and other essentials for elderly people living in self-isolation due to the coronavirus crisis.