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Tottenham Hotspur are set to be without Hugo Lloris for eight weeks after the goalkeeper sustained a knee injury in Sunday’s victory over Manchester City. The Spurs captain doesn’t need surgery but the ligament damage is severe enough to keep him on the sidelines for up to two months.
Fraser Foster, who signed for Antonio Conte’s side last summer, is expected to come in for Lloris and will need to hit the ground running with big games coming thick and fast. Forster has only made one previous Premier League appearance for Spurs but has plenty of experience after spells as Celtic’s and Southampton’s number one.
Lloris’ injury came towards the end of the win against Manchester but he was able to complete the game. Scans afterwards have suggested, though, that he perhaps should have been substituted to protect against further ligament damage.
Forster will come straight in for Tottenham’s next game away to Leicester City on Saturday. The Lilywhites will be looking to build on their win over Manchester City as they edge closer to Newcastle United in fourth place.
Time out of the spotlight for Lloris
Lloris has come under scrutiny more and more this season after a number of suspect performances in the Spurs’ goal. He has made four mistakes that have directly led to goals this season but Antonio Conte has stood by this captain throughout.
😫 Hugo Lloris has committed more errors leading to an opposition goal (4) than any other player in the Premier League this season
🤕 The Spurs keeper is out for 6-8 weeks with a knee injury pic.twitter.com/HColTSbpDA
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 8, 2023
The Frenchman, who retired from international football after the World Cup, may benefit from some time out of the limelight after racking up appearances for club and country over the past decade. It should give him the opportunity to re-energise and re-focus before returning for the business end of the season.
For Forster, it will be a chance to stake his claim as the new number-one goalkeeper at the club. He will particularly relish the opportunity to play in the Champions League once again with the doubleheader against AC Milan coming up in the next month.
Forster has previously enjoyed some famous performances in the competition for Celtic, most notably playing a huge part in their 2-1 victory over Barcelona in 2012. If he can return to anything like his best then Lloris may struggle to get back into the starting eleven when he does return.
Conte back in the country after surgery
The injury blow to Lloris comes on the same day as some positive news for Spurs and their fans. Manager, Antonio Conte, who was at home recovering from gallbladder surgery for the win over Manchester City has now returned to England.
Despite not being in the dugout on Sunday, the 53-year-old made a point of phoning Harry Kane in the dressing room after the game. Conte wanted to offer his congratulations to the England striker after he became the club’s record goalscorer.
Spurs are yet to confirm whether Conte will be back in the dugout for the game against Leicester City this weekend, but it is expected that he will certainly be back in time for the Champions League tie with AC Milan next Tuesday.
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