Tottenham Hotspur are set to be boosted by the return of Oliver Skipp after Antonio Conte revealed the midfielder is closing in on a return from injury.
And Spurs correspondent, Alasdair Gold, has been discussing the Italian’s comments on Skipp during his latest YouTube video amid the international break.
Would you start Skipp on his return?
Yes
No
Skipp has been out of action now through injury since the previous international break in January and has now missed nine Premier League games through his pelvic injury but could return in time for Newcastle United’s visit.
The 21-year-old had played a big role in Conte’s Spurs side since the Italian’s appointment in November having made 14 appearances under Conte, and it is apparent his injury came to the frustration of the 52-year-old.
But two months on from his injury setback, it seems Conte could be boosted by the midfielder’s return with Eddie Howe’s side visiting north London next weekend:
(53:30) “Oliver Skipp, finally asked about him and got some positive news ahead of the game [West Ham]. Conte said that he’s starting to feel less pain. And he said he’d be back after the international break.
“So I kind of pushed that a little bit and said do you mean actually the Newcastle game? He said, well said let’s see, we need to see how he responds over the next couple of weeks. So fingers crossed that that gets fixed.”
TIF Thoughts on Conte’s midfield…
Given Skipp has been out of action for two months, we think it is highly unlikely he will be thrown straight back into the starting XI with Spurs likely to ease him back into action.
There is also the question of whether Conte would be willing to disrupt his XI, at the moment, with Spurs winning two consecutive games for the first time this year.
Adding to this, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has shown improved form in recent weeks so it could be a case of Skipp needing to win the spot back off the Danish midfielder on his return.
In other news: Shocking: Tottenham should’ve been playing against 10 men as West Ham footage emerges – opinion