Younes Kaboul steps into the room amid a cloud of steam which has been pumped out of the nearby cryotherapy chamber at Watford's training ground and mingled with the freezing fog.

It is as if he brought his own special effects for a roll through the mists of time. Not that he needs to.

Kaboul is approaching his 31st birthday, charismatic and wise from a decade in English football as he prepares for another encounter with Tottenham, where he spent six years in two spells.

Watford defender Younes Kaboul looks on during his interview at Watford's training ground

The Frenchman smiles as he is photographed by Sportsmail snapper Graham Chadwick

'Ups and downs,' he smiles as he reflects on Spurs. It is an understatement.

Kaboul won the League Cup at Wembley at the end of his first season and savoured a thrilling Champions League campaign when he returned from the chaos at Portsmouth.

He scored a famous winner at Arsenal, enjoyed cult hero status among fans who sang: 'Kaboul is on fire' and was named captain before being frozen out by Mauricio Pochettino at the bitter end.

'The end was not OK,' said Kaboul. 'Because the manager disrespected me, 100 per cent. When Mauricio first came we had a very nice, human, man-to-man kind of respect. And then something happened and I don't know what it was.

'I got injured and then he didn't talk to me anymore. Then he was not putting me in the squad for no reason. One game, two games, three games, and that was strange for me because I am supposed to be his captain.

'I'm not saying because I'm his captain I need to play, no, no, no. If I am not good enough to play I am not playing. But you have to respect players, to talk to them and explain why they're not playing.

Centre half Kaboul has spoken on Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino (left)

Kaboul believes that 44-year-old Argentine boss Pochettino did not show him respect

'After a few games I went to see him, to ask what was happening. I needed to understand because clearly he wasn't talking to me. But he said: 'There's nothing, I've got nothing to say to you'.

'I asked him to put himself in my position. He was a captain at good clubs like Paris Saint-Germain where his manager was Luis Fernandez, a very good manager. I said: 'How would you feel if he dropped you with no reasons'. And he said: 'It was different'.

'After that I shook his hand and we stopped talking to each other. That was the end.

'I'm still waiting to find out why. It's behind me now. I keep some very good memories and I have a lot of respect for Tottenham but I played against them last year with Sunderland and I'm going to play against them with Watford. I play to win. That's my mentality.'

From London to Sunderland and more extremes — with a relegation escape which ended in tears of joy and relief.

'The emotion of one season at Sunderland was like five seasons,' said Kaboul. 'We went from zero to — well, not the top but to stay in the Premier League was amazing.

'I cried on the pitch. Only football can give you those emotions. It was something I'll never forget.'

The 30-year-old five-time France international defender chats to our reporter, Matt Barlow

He struck a connection with Sam Allardyce and the pair were briefly reunited when Big Sam's first game in charge of Crystal Palace ended in a 1-1 draw and a preposterous row with Watford's mascot Harry the Hornet.

'Sam gives you passion,' said Kaboul. 'I liked him. He's a man-manager like Harry Redknapp. I'm happy he found a new club after England and he will always have that 100 per cent record: one game, one win. I think Palace will be OK with him.

'You know exactly what he wants. He walked into Sunderland and after one meeting we knew what to do. He said: 'Play this way and we will stay in the Premier League'.

'He wanted us to play direct. He told us to keep clean sheets and defend, just defend, don't make a pass into midfield. When you get the ball, hit the striker or hit the space and that's it. It worked.'

Family reasons prompted Kaboul to leave Wearside after one season. He also thought Allardyce's exit damaged the 'balance and ambition' inside the club.

'I knew Watford was a club with ambition,' he said. 'I've always liked this club. We have a good squad and nice people. The chairman is very clever. He wants to make something great here.

Pochettino (centre) chats to No 4 Kaboul during a Spurs match against Schalke in 2014

'Let's take this challenge and see where it takes us. There are no limits. When you have good surroundings you can do anything. So far, we could have done better but I am happy.'

Watford are settled in mid-table with their eyes on the top half and Kaboul is fit and performing well for Walter Mazzarri.

He has suffered with serious knee injuries in his career and missed out on the France squad for Euro 2012 when he was hurt against Fulham on the final day of the season.

The same knee went again at Newcastle on the opening day of the following season. This time there was an operation and a long recovery process.

'I was told four months at the beginning but it took a year,' said Kaboul.

'The season before, I'd done very well. After that it was different. Over the years, I've lost a lot of time on the sidelines.

'I've been out too long. I could've been a better player. I was out for a year and then with the other knee for three or four months.

Ex-Tottenham club captain Kaboul (back, right) sits behind Pochettino at Stamford Bridge

'That killed me mentally. You get angry and you don't know why it's taking so long. The club wants to rush you and you can't say no because you want to help the team. I played many games for Tottenham in deep pain but no one knew.

'Sometimes I was just fed up and thought: 'I'll do something else'. But I had to fight. In the end I met a specialist and I got better.

'I'm fine today. There's no pain. I've learned to manage it. A lot of it is upstairs, in your head. I will be 31 soon and I feel much better. I will keep fighting and keep playing.

'That's why I have a lot of respect for Sunderland and Watford because they offered me the chance to carry on playing and I'm grateful.'

Kaboul plays a pass during Watford's Boxing Day clash with Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road

Tottenham arrive at Vicarage Road on the back of three straight wins and trying to break into the elite of English football, much as they were when Kaboul signed from Auxerre in 2007.

'When I first signed, I knew nothing at all about the Premier League,' he said. 'I was 21 and it took a while for me to understand the importance of what it meant to play for Spurs.

'We won the Carling Cup and it was like we'd won the World Cup, the way they celebrated.

'I still have the medal at home but I wanted to win more.

'It must have been the best team in Spurs history, or one of the best: Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Adebayor, Crouch, Defoe, Scott Parker — top players.

'They're not far away now but they need to spend. Look at City since the takeover. That's the rule of football. That's how big teams do it, they spend.'