Antonio Conte has been ‘pleasantly surprised’ by Oliver Skipp, says journalist

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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp has “pleasantly surprised” Antonio Conte, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The 21-year-old’s proposed return to action suffered a fresh blow last week after Skipp felt discomfort on his return to outdoor training.

According to the Evening Standard, the England Under-21 international trained individually on the grass, but returned back indoors after reporting soreness in his pelvis.

The long-term pelvic injury has ruled Skipp out since late January. Tottenham’s number 29 has missed the last 11 Premier League games

Despite the ongoing frustrations with his injury struggles, Skipp has impressed in the Premier League this season under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte.

Having returned from a season-long loan spell at Norwich City, Skipp has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in the top-flight.

However, the timing of Skipp’s unfortunate injury issues came at a similar time that Tottenham signed Rodrigo Bentancur who has replaced him in midfield to partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Despite being no closer to a return to action as Spurs continue to gain a stranglehold on the fourth Champions League spot, Brown believes that the former Inter Milan manager has been impressed with what he has seen from the young midfielder.

Brown told GiveMeSport: “I think Conte has been quite pleasantly surprised by Skipp, who has done a really good job for him. Him and Hojbjerg seem to be the muscle in that midfield, whether they play together or not.”

With Spurs in great form, the need for Skipp’s return isn’t urgent, but with seven Premier League games playing Conte would like to have the midfielder back to bolster his squad for the final push in the quest for Champions League qualification.