‘Why didn’t you leave him at home’: Patrice Evra shocked by Conte’s call on Tottenham star

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Patrice Evra was left shocked when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was benched for Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-2 draw against Brentford on Boxing Day.

The former left-back thinks, given that Lloris was named in Tottenham’s squad, then Antonio Conte should have started his number one because he had trained and travelled with the squad.

It has been over a week since Lloris was involved in perhaps the greatest football game of them all when France were beaten on penalties by Argentina in the World Cup final.

Every single Argentina player involved during that match still hasn’t returned to domestic action yet, whilst several French players are back, including Kylian Mbappe, William Saliba and Lloris himself.

But whilst Saliba, who didn’t start a game at the Qatar World Cup, started Arsenal’s 3-1 win over West Ham on Boxing Day, it was a place on the bench for his fellow countryman across London.

And another former French player couldn’t understand that call, as he felt that Lloris would have been better off staying at home, instead, as he told Amazon Prime Sport.

“I would like to know whose decision it is for Hugo Lloris not to play,” asked Evra. “He is a goalkeeper, no matter if he’s been affected emotionally (by France’s World Cup final defeat).

“I am surprised he’s not in the starting XI. I think it will be Conte’s (decision), but he is also the captain. They must have talked with each other.

“And why is he on the bench? Why didn’t you leave him at home if you really want him to recover? But he is still part of it, with the team, in training and in the hotel. Why isn’t he starting?”

LLORIS RETURN VS ASTON VILLA?

Fraser Forster was the one who filled in for Lloris, but in truth, he couldn’t do much about the goals Tottenham conceded.

But surely now Lloris returns for the visit of Aston Villa on Sunday? Because the visitors themselves will have their own goalkeeper returning, or so they will be hoping.

Emi Martinez was the hero of the evening as Argentina secured World Cup glory and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the XI for Spurs because back-up stopper Robin Olsen is having a torrid time in between the sticks.