Jose Mourinho's departure from Tottenham Hotspur barely made the headlines on Monday.

Due to the ongoing European Super League debacle, the sacking of the Portuguese manager was given very minimal attention.

Had Mourinho been shown the exit door under normal circumstances, it would have been arguably the biggest story of the 2020/21 Premier League season so far.

The self-proclaimed 'Special One' has now been sacked by three of the English top-flight's 'big six' in the past six years, a pretty woeful record.

His time at Spurs will not be remembered fondly by supporters, a 17-month reign that essentially highlighted why his time at the highest level of the managerial game is probably over.

Towards the end of Mourinho's tenure in north London, the players had evidently stopped performing for him and that was something the man himself was keen to remind them on Monday.

Mourinho after he was sacked

As reported by the Telegraph, Mourinho remained at Spurs' training ground for four hours after he was sacked, holding a series of talks with members of the playing staff and telling them some "home truths".

According to a first-team source, these "home truths" were focused on performances, so they cannot have been overly joyous conversations.

The report also states that Mourinho's relationship with the players hit rock-bottom after Spurs' 3-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, a result that saw the club eliminated from the UEFA Europa League.

Following that night in the Croatian capital, the Portuguese's relationship with the team deteriorated rapidly, to the point where people were "afraid to smile" on the training ground.

Mourinho in Zagreb

Sounds like a right laugh, doesn't it?

Mourinho's decline behind-the-scenes at Spurs was terminal, with the manager's telling of "home truths" not just confined to his final day in charge.

He even took aim at first-team players in front of their colleagues.

Thankfully, the team's slate has been wiped clean for the rest of the season, with Ryan Mason taking temporary charge of Spurs until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

His first game in the hot-seat on Wednesday saw the capital club beat Southampton 2-1 thanks to a late penalty from Heung-min Son.

Is the Carabao Cup final now a free hit for Spurs? Hear more on The Football Terrace...