27-year-old says he was left crying in pain during Antonio Conte’s time at Tottenham

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Sergio Reguilon has shared how he was left in tears at one stage while Antonio Conte was in charge at Tottenham Hotspur as he kept playing while dealing with an ankle injury.

It is fair to say that life under Antonio Conte will not be remembered particularly fondly by Tottenham fans. It is remarkable to think it was less than a year ago that the Italian left with Spurs moving backwards.

But there were definitely some better times. Conte took Tottenham into the Champions League, with the side beating Arsenal to fourth spot in the Premier League in his first few months in charge.

Sergio Reguilon opens up on playing through the pain barrier under Antonio Conte at Tottenham

At the time, it seemed an incredible achievement. But it seems that he demanded a huge amount of his players.

Speaking to The Times, Sergio Reguilon has now suggested that he pushed himself to the absolute brink to try and make himself available for the business end of the campaign.

“We were playing for the Champions League and Conte wanted me,” he said. “I was taking an injection for training, taking an injection for playing, even to start on the bench for three, four weeks. I was on my bed crying from the pain.

“I remember we played against Brighton, my last game for Spurs, and I took many injections. At home seven hours after and my ankle is like a balloon and I couldn’t feel anything, not my ankle or my legs. The next day I wake up and I couldn’t move and I say, ‘It’s time to stop’. It’s time to stop because maybe now I destroy my body.”

Top-four finish looked to be start of bright future

Reguilon would ultimately miss the final six league games, proving to be an unused substitute in the first of those fixtures.

But his comments provide an insight into the lengths some players will go to to be out there on the pitch in the big games. And clearly, Conte felt that having Reguilon in the squad was beneficial to the side, even if he was not fully fit.

It is also a reminder of how it appeared that Conte was going to get Tottenham players to run through a brick wall for him at the time.

Ultimately however, the promise shown in that first season was not built upon. And Spurs now appear to be in a better place with Ange Postecoglou at the helm.