Tottenham news: Pundit slams Antonio Conte after ‘strange’ reveal – ‘keep it behind closed doors’
Antonio Conte’s “strange” comments on the injury to Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp should have stayed “behind closed doors”, according to Noel Whelan.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 21-year-old’s absence will have no bearing on Spurs’ quest for Champions League qualification.
Tottenham, buoyed by the return of January acquisition Rodrigo Bentancur, thumped relegation-threatened Everton 5-0 at home yesterday (7 March) despite Skipp’s absence.
As quoted by The Guardian last Friday, (4 March), Conte urged his club doctors to explain the reason behind the midfielder’s groin injury setback.
The Italian added that it is “too easy for the doctors to work here [in England] because they don’t speak”.
Whelan admitted that fans should always be kept in the loop regarding injuries.
“I think there’s always a case for fans knowing what’s going on with the timescales and that sort of thing,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“It’s often the case that fans are left in the dark about players and whether they’re going to be seen again. Patrick Bamford at Leeds is a prime example, two weeks ago we thought he would be out for the season.
“I don’t think there’s any point in hiding anything but that sort of comment just needs to be kept behind closed doors.
“He’s injured, at the end of the day. You can’t be rushing these top players back because they could just pick up a far worse injury down the line.
“It’s not going to hamper their chances of getting into the Champions League spots. It’s a little bit strange that Conte has hit out in that way.”
Skipp last featured on 23 January against Chelsea.
Tottenham sit seventh in the Premier League.
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