Ex-England international winger Aaron Lennon was delighted for compatriot and former teammate Jermaine Defoe after he was confirmed as a coach at Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month. In addition to his coaching role with the Spurs Academy, Defoe was also named as an ambassador for the North London club.

Defoe, 39, returned to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year shortly after he called time on his career as a professional footballer. He retired in March after a short stint at Sunderland while they were in League One. The Black Cats have since secured promotion to the English Championship. The Englishman had joined the Black Cats in January for his second spell at the club after leaving Scottish Premiership side Rangers. His second stint at Sunderland lasted for a few months.

Ex-Premier League player Defoe had been at Tottenham Hotspur as a coach with the youth team setup before his role was confirmed by the club this month. He will work with the young players at the club from the u-17 team to the u-21 team.

Tottenham Hotspur made the confirmation of Defoe as a coach and an ambassador on social media and Defoe also announced his new role via his personal social media account thus leading to positive messages from fans and former teammates including Aaron Lennon. Ex-Burnley star Lennon sent his congratulatory message to Defoe in reply to his post about the new Spurs role on Instagram. Lennon and Defoe were teammates at Tottenham Hotspur for some years. While Defoe retired from professional football earlier this year, Lennon is still a professional footballer. The 35-year-old was released at the end of his contract with Burnley shortly after their relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season.

Apart from Aaron Lennon, the likes of Rangers skipper James Tavernier and Jermaine Jenas also sent their congratulations to Defoe.