'A bit of time': Antonio Conte suggests 22-year-old Tottenham player will not be back from injury any time soon

By Milo Clay

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has suggested to the club’s official website that Dejan Kulusevski will not be back from injury anytime soon. 

The 22-year-old picked up an injury while on international duty with Sweden last month and hasn’t featured since. 

He did return to training earlier this month ahead of the Eintracht Frankfurt clash but suffered a further setback in his recovery.

Kulusevski also offered some Spurs fans some hope on his Instagram account on Monday evening. The Swede posted two pictures of himself in action accompanied by a sand timer emoji. 

Now, Conte has confirmed that the winger will not be available for tonight’s game against Sporting. And judging by the Italian’s comments, it seems that his return is not imminent. 

Conte suggests Kulusevski will not be back anytime soon 

Speaking to Spurs Play, Conte provided an update on the fitness of both Kulusevski and Richarlison. 

“About Richy and Kulusevski, they are out,” he said. 

“No possibility for tomorrow, they are not available. They need, I think, a bit of time to recover.”

Spurs have really missed Kulusevski’s influence on the right-hand side over the past few weeks. 

Conte’s men suffered consecutive defeats in the Premier League last week. They also fell to a disappointing defeat in the north London derby in Kulusevski’s absence. 

The Italian hasn’t been helped by the fact that his other option for the right-hand side in Richarlison picked up an injury against Everton. 

Tottenham have really struggled to create as many chances without Kulusevski in the side and have missed his incisive passing in the final third. 

Conte will be hoping for some positive news on the Swede sooner rather than later. But it seems more and more likely that he could be without the player until after the World Cup. 

The Spurs boss has been boosted by the return of Lucas Moura. But the Brazilian is still working his way back to full fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.