Postecoglou achieved what others could not: Hart

Despite helping Tottenham Hotspur end a 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final on May 21, Ange Postecoglou's future as Spurs manager remains in the balance, as they are set for their worst English Premier League finish in 17th place.

- David Lee

But former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was with the club during the 2020-21 season, felt that the 59-year-old Australian deserves credit for "putting himself on the line and delivering" a first European title for the north London side since 1984 and taking them back to the Champions League.

The 38-year-old, who is in town for StarHub's Football for All carnival, told The Straits Times: "He's done something that a lot of great managers haven't been able to do at Spurs, so he should be proud of that.

"They set themselves up to win the Europa League this year, and you can tell they didn't prioritise the league. When it works, you deserve all the praise and credit, and I'm delighted for Ange."

Hart had worked with Postecoglou when they won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic in 2022 and 2023, as the Australian gave the custodian a new lease of life following two seasons without a league appearance at Burnley and Tottenham.

The 1.96m Englishman, who is now a BBC pundit, said: "I was a senior pro and my career wasn't at the stage that I wanted it to be. He knew that it wasn't because of a lack of effort or ability, and he gave me new energy at the latter end of my career.