Mueez Ajao
– Tottenham manager Antonio Conte returned to work on Thursday after surgery to remove his gallbladder.
– Conte, 53, had the operation in his native Italy last week after suffering with severe abdominal pain, and missed Sunday’s 1-0 win over Manchester City.
– He returned to England on Wednesday, but it is not yet known if he will be on the touchline for Saturday’s Premier League match at Leicester.
Also Read: Conte could lead Tottenham against Man City days after surgery
– Meanwhile, Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma is to have ankle surgery.
– The Mali international will have an operation on Friday to repair a stress fracture to his left ankle, with a timescale for his recovery yet to be determined.
– Speaking about Conte’s return to training, Spurs assistant manager Cristian Stellini said: “This morning he was on the pitch with us.
– “He has to take it easy for a bit but we were so happy to meet him again at the training ground. He spent time hugging everyone.
– “He didn’t speak about what he would do in the next match but he is back and we are happy.”
– Stellini, who took charge of Spurs for last Sunday’s match, also confirmed that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris would be absent for “between five and seven weeks” with the knee injury he sustained against City.
– He refused to be drawn on speculation over the future of Conte, whose contract expires at the end of the season, although Spurs do have the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
– Conte joined Spurs in 2021 after ending his contract with Inter Milan.
– “We have never spoken about this,” said Stellini. “In football you cannot be relaxed if you have a contract or not.
– “You have to work hard and when you approach the next game, you can’t be relaxed and you live this with energy because you want to win, so you don’t have time to talk about the future.
– “This is our life, this is football, this is sport, you think about the next target you want to achieve. What you want to achieve is only this so you’re not relaxed with or without a contract.”
