Conte 'is back' at Tottenham and 'on the pitch' after surgery; Stellini hints at Lloris return date
Tottenham assistant Cristian Stellini has revealed Antonio Conte is 'back' and 'on the pitch' ahead of this weekend's trip to face Leicester City.
Conte was out as Spurs beat Man City 1-0 last weekend while the head coach was in Italy for surgery to remove his gallbladder.
The Tottenham boss returned to England on Wednesday and is helping with the preparation ahead of their game against Leicester. But Stellini refused to confirm if he will be in the dugout this weekend.
Stellini said: "Antonio is back. This morning he was on the pitch with us.
"He needs to calm down a bit but we were so happy to see him back on the training ground. He spent time embracing everyone.
"He hasn't spoken about what he will do in the next game but he's back and we're happy."
Speculation continues over Conte's future, with his contract set to expire this summer, although Tottenham have the option of extending it for another 12 months.
Assistant Stellini insisted they were fully focused on the present, but he was relaxed about his own situation.
He added: "No, we never talk about it. We're so focused on now and the next game, the next training and the next step we have to do, the next solution we have to try to create. and build within the team.
"We never talked about it.
"In football you can't be relaxed whether 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 it with energy because you want to win, so you don't have time to talk about the future.< /p>
"It's our life, it's football, it's sport, you think about the next goal you want to achieve. What you want to achieve is only that so you don't get relaxed with or without a contract."
While Conte is back with the squad, Spurs will be without captain Hugo Lloris for the foreseeable future due to a knee injury.
Lloris is not expected to be available until the March international break and will miss the Champions League Round of 16 tie with AC Milan and several other domestic fixtures.
This provides an opportunity for substitute goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who has made four Tottenham appearances since a summer switch from Southampton.
"We are all disappointed with Hugo and his injury," admitted Stellini.
"However, we have a good, experienced goalkeeper like Fraser Forster, with great Premier League experience and good Champions League experience.
"We have five difficult weeks ahead of us, but we trust Fraser, so we are happy to play with him in the team.
"We also say to Hugo, 'see you soon'. He needs a good recovery, maybe five to seven weeks to be back with us."
Cristian Romero will also miss Saturday's trip to Leicester following his red card on Sunday.
READ MORE: Who are the FA Cup favorites this season? Brighton fourth after knocking out holders
Tottenham assistant Cristian Stellini has revealed Antonio Conte is 'back' and 'on the pitch' ahead of this weekend's trip to face Leicester City.
Conte was out as Spurs beat Man City 1-0 last weekend while the head coach was in Italy for surgery to remove his gallbladder.
The Tottenham boss returned to England on Wednesday and is helping with the preparation ahead of their game against Leicester. But Stellini refused to confirm if he will be in the dugout this weekend.
Stellini said: "Antonio is back. This morning he was on the pitch with us.
"He needs to calm down a bit but we were so happy to see him back on the training ground. He spent time embracing everyone.
"He hasn't spoken about what he will do in the next game but he's back and we're happy."
Speculation continues over Conte's future, with his contract set to expire this summer, although Tottenham have the option of extending it for another 12 months.
Assistant Stellini insisted they were fully focused on the present, but he was relaxed about his own situation.
He added: "No, we never talk about it. We're so focused on now and the next game, the next training and the next step we have to do, the next solution we have to try to create. and build within the team.
"We never talked about it.
"In football you can't be relaxed whether 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 it with energy because you want to win, so you don't have time to talk about the future.< /p>
"It's our life, it's football, it's sport, you think about the next goal you want to achieve. What you want to achieve is only that so you don't get relaxed with or without a contract."
While Conte is back with the squad, Spurs will be without captain Hugo Lloris for the foreseeable future due to a knee injury.
Lloris is not expected to be available until the March international break and will miss the Champions League Round of 16 tie with AC Milan and several other domestic fixtures.
This provides an opportunity for substitute goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who has made four Tottenham appearances since a summer switch from Southampton.
"We are all disappointed with Hugo and his injury," admitted Stellini.
"However, we have a good, experienced goalkeeper like Fraser Forster, with great Premier League experience and good Champions League experience.
"We have five difficult weeks ahead of us, but we trust Fraser, so we are happy to play with him in the team.
"We also say to Hugo, 'see you soon'. He needs a good recovery, maybe five to seven weeks to be back with us."
Cristian Romero will also miss Saturday's trip to Leicester following his red card on Sunday.
READ MORE: Who are the FA Cup favorites this season? Brighton fourth after knocking out holders
What's Your Reaction?
