Children in hospital were treated to an early Christmas present when football players paid them a special visit.

Tottenham Hotspur players Younes Kaboul, Eric Dier and Michel Vorm spent an afternoon speaking to children at Barnet Hospital’s Galaxy ward and Starlight neonatal ward.

They were joined by Tottenham Ladies’ team player Leanne Mabey, and handed out gifts, signed autographs and posed for selfies with patients and their families.

Lifelong Spurs fan Charlotte Cummings, who has played for the club’s under nine and under ten squads, had been meeting with her medical team when the players arrived, and almost had to make do with a photo of 6ft2in Younes Kaboul lying in her hospital bed next to a giant Teddy bear.

But the 15-year-old arrived back in the closing seconds of the players’ visit, just in time for a last-minute photo.

She said: “It was such an unexpected surprise to see them here but it was really nice.

“I think it is a really good thing to do. It would make anyone feel better, even if you’re not a Spurs fan.”

Eric Dier said: "This is my first time visiting the local hospitals around Christmas time and it was great to meet the families and kids. Some of them are having a really tough time so it was nice to be able to come here and put smiles on their faces."

Galaxy ward play specialist Jill De Graag said: “The players were really good fun and they really made the effort to speak to every one of the patients.

“I think the patients absolutely loved it – even the ones who support Arsenal. One boy had been so down and it was just lovely to see him smile. His face just changed when they arrived.

“It’s brilliant that they do this. It really lifts the spirits in the ward.”