Antonio Conte has suggested to Football London that he will be working Giovani Lo Celso hard in Tottenham Hotspur training after he returns from injury.
Coming back to fitness
Lo Celso featured for Conte in his very first game in charge of Tottenham against Everton, but he hasn’t been seen since.
The Argentine playmaker has been suffering with a knee injury, but it seems that he is now on the verge of a full comeback.
And Conte has suggested that he is keen to get to work with the 25-year-old on Tottenham’s training ground, as he is a player who he rates highly.
“Giovani Lo Celso, like Cristian Romero, they were injured with the national team. For sure it was a pity but Giovani’s situation is much, much better than Romero,” he said.
“My expectation is to see him the day after we play against Brentford. He’s started to work, to work on the pitch. For sure Giovani is another player we need to try to exploit, to exploit him. He’s a good player and now I want to work with him.”
When Lo Celso does return from injury he will actually do so with a point to prove now.
Lo Celso’s first season in English football was relatively encouraging, but since then he has struggled for form and fitness.
Tottenham invested a sizeable chunk of money to sign the midfielder from Real Betis, but he is yet to really repay them.
He is far from a permanent starter right now, but if Lo Celso can start showing the same form for Tottenham as he does for Argentina then there is no reason why he can’t break into Conte’s team.
Lo Celso is a leading star for his country, but he is yet to produce that level of performance in a Tottenham shirt.
And it will be up to Conte to find a way to drag the very best out of Lo Celso, which is something numerous Spurs managers have failed to do so far.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
