- Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is expected to miss six to eight weeks
- He suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s Premier League win over Manchester City
- Forster will make his first start in goal for Conte’s side when they travel to the King Power Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to a knee injury suffered in Sunday’s Premier League win over Manchester City.
The former France international played the entire 90 minutes as the Lilywhites defeated the champions 1-0 thanks to Harry Kane’s club-record 267th goal.
Tottenham, led by Cristian Stellini while Antonio Conte recovered from gallbladder surgery, appeared to escape the game unscathed, barring Cristian Romero’s dismissal.
However, Telegraph journalist Matt Law has revealed that Lloris suffered ligament damage to his knee and will now be out for an extended period.
The 36-year-old required treatment near the end of the game following a challenge, and the report adds that Spurs were initially concerned about Lloris missing the rest of the season.
Lloris has recently made headlines for a couple of high-profile errors in home losses to Aston Villa and Arsenal. After bouncing back to help the team to crucial victories over Fulham and Manchester City, the shot-experience stopper’s and leadership will undoubtedly be missed in the coming weeks.
The games he will miss
Lloris suffered an injury in the win against Man City.|PHOTO: Sky Sports|
Lloris will now miss both Champions League Round of 16 matches against AC Milan, Premier League matches against Leicester City, West Ham, Chelsea, Wolves, and Nottingham Forest, and the FA Cup fifth-round match against Sheffield United. Six weeks after sustaining the injury, he would be eligible to play in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, March 18.
If the former France international is out for eight weeks, Conte and Spurs could welcome him back after the first international break of 2023 for the game away at Everton in early April.
Tottenham will face Chelsea in a Premier League London derby on February 26 without Lloris, who will also miss Tottenham’s FA Cup fifth-round match against Sheffield United on March 1.
His replacement
Fraser Foster replaces Lloris in goal.|PHOTO: Sky Sports|
While Lloris recovers, Fraser Forster will take his place in goal, and Tottenham are hopeful that he will not need surgery, but his situation will be closely monitored.
Lloris has kept nine clean sheets in 27 games for Tottenham this season across all competitions, but he has been chastised for several high-profile gaffes.
The World Cup winner deflected a cross from Bukayo Saka into his net as Spurs lost 2-0 to North London rivals Arsenal in the January derby. However, after the game, Conte still praised Lloris as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet.
“In this situation, it’s always difficult. I think it’s not positive to focus on only one or two situations,” Conte explained.
Lloris has had 151 clean sheets in 443 appearances for Tottenham since joining Lyon in 2012. However, his contract expires at the end of next season.
Forster will make his first start in goal for Conte’s side when they travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
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