Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Danny Murphy admits he has concerns about Fraser Forster’s lack of match action as the veteran ‘keeper prepares to step in for the injured Hugo Lloris at the Premier League giants, speaking to talkSPORT (8 February, 12pm).
Spurs just cannot catch a break right now.
Just three days after that morale-boosting, potentially season-changing 1-0 victory over Manchester City, Antonio Conte woke up to the news that one of the first names on his Tottenham team sheet could be out of action until the end of May.
Lloris, the BBC report, suffered ligament damage in that City win. The World Cup-winning France international faces up to two months on the sidelines.
As such, the limelight now falls upon Fraser Forster; a 34-year-old shot-stopper who has made just four appearances since joining the London giants from Southampton over the summer.
Hugo Lloris’ injury opens door to Fraser Forster at Tottenham
“I think some Tottenham fans have been calling for Forster to get a game sooner than he has, because of the form of Lloris,” Murphy points out. “He’s been up and down. He’s made some horrendous mistakes.
“It is an opportunity (for Forster). He’s an experienced keeper. He’s been around European football before from his time at Celtic. It’s an opportunity for him.
“But you do worry about any goalkeeper being thrust in and (wonder) whether he can hit the ground running. He hasn’t played for a long time.”
Life as a back-up goalkeeper is never easy. You spend months twiddling your thumbs on the sidelines and, suddenly, you are thrown into the midst of a Premier League top-four race and a Champions League knock-out tie with barely any time to prepare yourself.
Forster is likely to feature in both of the UCL last-16 legs against AC Milan. He could also stand between the sticks during London derbies with Chelsea and West Ham United.
“We had great satisfaction to work together, to feel the strength of the team,” Lloris said after that hard-fought Man City win. “Maybe we lost that a bit for a while. But I believe the defeat at City was a wake-up call.
“We don’t want to miss opportunities. I hope this will be a turning point.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
