Antonio Conte was not calling Tottenham Hotspur youngster Ryan Sessegnon by his name on Monday night in his press conference.
That is according to Alasdair Gold, who believes Conte calling Sessegnon ‘the player’ was a sign of the manager’s frustrations in the 21-year-old’s latest injury setback.
Should Sessegnon get a new contract?
Yes
No
Conte said: “I hope nothing serious as it is a muscular problem. I hope nothing serious because every time this player is having continuity of performance and then something wrong or little injury. I hope is nothing serious.”
Sessegnon started for the fifth consecutive Premier League game on Monday night in the victory over Everton, but his night was cut short as he was replaced at half-time.
But there are some concerns the defender may have caused some damage to the same hamstring which has caused him issues in the past.
And with the 21-year-old having scans to determine the severity of the injury, speaking on the Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham podcast, Gold had the following to say on Conte’s reaction:
“It was also interesting that when Conte was talking about him afterwards, he calls him ‘the player’. And I think that is a bit of annoyance that the kind of injury thing is, you know, the player or this is a player who always has this problem: when he has a bit of consistency, he gets an injury.”
TIF Thoughts on Gold’s comments…
It is possible Gold is right in thinking Conte was talking as a frustrated figure about the left wing-back, given he has previously spoken glowingly of Sessegnon.
However, injuries are clearly a big issue for the youngster, who has already missed a large number of games this season due to two separate issues (via Transfermarkt).
And despite Sergio Reguilon immediately stepping up in his absence, it feels like his latest injury is coming at a time when the 21-year-old was beginning to pick up some consistent form.
In other news: ‘He looked gutted’ – Alasdair Gold issues worrying touchline claim at Spurs