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Roberto Martinez was ready to dump Belgium for Tottenham - until Jose Mourinho landed the job.

The ex-Everton boss was among the names under consideration at White Hart Lane once chairman Daniel Levy decided to get shot of Mauricio Pochettino over the international break.

Spaniard Martinez, 46, who has been in charge of Belgium since August 2016, has never lost his desire to return to club management – if and when the right role should come along.

And despite his Belgium outfit, who finished third at the 2018 World Cup finals, being one of the major favourites to win next summer’s European Championships, it seems he viewed the Spurs vacancy as exactly that.

As the pressure on Pochettino reached breaking point earlier this month, the North Londoners were made aware of Martinez's interest in the post were it to become available.

But while Levy is an admirer of the ex-Wigan and Swansea boss, the two parties never got round to holding formal talks.

That is because Levy’s top choice for the hot-seat - Mourinho - had by then already made it clear he wanted to assume the reins in N17.

(Image: BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)

The pace of Mourinho’s arrival took everyone at Spurs by surprise – especially devastated Pochettino.

The Argentine, 47, has been left heartbroken by Levy’s ruthless decision to wield the axe and bring his five-and-a-half-year spell at the club to such an abrupt end.

The pair always had a close relationship and Pochettino never expected to be shown the door mid-season - and barely five months after leading the club to their first ever Champions League final.

Although he has since been linked to Bayern Munich, Poch, according to sources close to the ex-Southampton and Espanyol coach, is unlikely to ‘rush into a new job’ any time soon.

The German giants recently dismissed their Croatian coach Niko Kovac and replaced him with interim boss Hans-Dieter Flick.