LONDON (Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur coach Antonio Conte was back at work on Thursday as his side prepare for thos weekend’s Premier League trip to Leicester City but injured goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and midfielder Yves Bissouma face a spell on the sidelines.
Conte, 53, was diagnosed with cholecystitis, or inflammation of the gallbladder, and took a short break to focus on his recovery after surgery at the beginning of the month.
“Antonio is back and we enjoyed this morning to see him back again,” Spurs assistant manager Cristian Stellini said.
“He’s been training, he’s been to the pitch with us, but he has to take it easy for a bit. It was fun to see him here again with energy, it was a hug for everyone.”
However, Tottenham will be without captain Lloris for several weeks after the Frenchman picked up a knee injury in Sunday’s league win over champions Manchester City.
“At the moment, we know we have a big loss, Hugo will miss maybe the next six weeks,” Stellini said.
Fraser Forster will take over in goal.
Bissouma will have surgery on Friday to repair a stress fracture to his left ankle, with a timeframe for the 26-year-old Mali midfielder’s return to be determined after that.
The injuries will be a blow to Tottenham, who are fifth in the Premier League, face a last-16 Champions League tie against AC Milan and are also in the FA Cup fifth round.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
