Antonio Conte has lamented Matt Doherty’s season-ending injury for Tottenham Hotspur.
A knee injury suffered against Aston Villa last week has curtailed the Republic of Ireland international’s campaign.
It’s a massive shame for Doherty and Tottenham.
And that’s because the former Wolves right-back had improved enormously under the Italian manager.
When Conte was appointed as Spurs manager in November, one of the most intriguing questions was which Lilywhites player he was going to improve.
And with Doherty being one of Tottenham’s most consistent performers this calendar year, the answer might well be him.
However, the 30-year-old won’t play again this season and Conte has admitted to the club’s official website that it’s a ‘pity’, adding that he might be absent for eight weeks.
He said: “This is really bad news for us because, as you know well, Matthew was improving game by game and becoming a really important player for us. He had great confidence. But, in football, this kind of situation can happen, an injury, now we’ve lost him for the rest of the season.
“We are talking about seven, eight weeks to recover, and for this reason, his season has finished. It’s a pity, because he was an important player for us.”
Tottenham are fourth in the Premier League standings with seven games to play.
With a three-point cushion over fifth-placed Arsenal, now is not the time for any ‘important player’ to get injured.
And if their Champions League qualification bid comes unstuck as a result of Doherty’s injury, well that’ll underline what a major player he has become these past few months.
Conte’s side are home to Brighton at 12.30 on Saturday afternoon.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
