Antonio Conte tells Tottenham Hotspur fans not to forget about Oliver Skipp
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp suffered a freak injury in training at Hotspur Way just before the start of the season. This meant that manager Antonio Conte could not name him in his matchday squad for the first four Premier League games in August.
The English midfielder has, since then, made a return to Spurs’ bench and has been an unused substitute in his team’s last four games. Conte seems to trust Skipp – a player who signed a new contract until 2027 under the Italian’s reign earlier this year.
Speaking at his latest pre-match press conference before the game against Leicester City on Saturday (h/t Football.London), Conte reminded everyone that he will use Skipp, along with other Spurs players not seeing much action right now, in the future.
“When we play 12 games in one month, you need to be ready because I need all my players… Don’t forget Skippy. He is very reliable, he’s a prospect but I can count on him. He’s an important player. In the next few games he can have a better physical condition and I can count on him also.”
Skipp survived a midfield exodus this summer as Spurs loaned out three first-team central midfielders. Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, and Harry Winks joined Villarreal, Napoli and Sampdoria, respectively, on temporary deals.
At the age of 22, perhaps Skipp is more open to being a squad player than some other, older Spurs players, especially with the FIFA World Cup just around the corner.
It remains to be seen when Conte will use Skipp for the first time this season. It could be off the bench against Leicester City as common sense and Conte’s comments himself dictate that Spurs would choose a stronger team against the Foxes.
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- Liverpool legend Steve Nicol changes Tottenham Hotspur Champions League prediction after Sporting CP loss
The Italian manager claimed he was relaxed following Spurs’ clash against Manchester City at the Etihad being postponed from September 10 to a later date as he could then choose stronger teams for the UEFA Champions League game against Sporting CP and the PL showdown vs Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City this weekend.
