Conte’s comments suggest he’ll drop ‘great’ Spurs player v Villa despite scoring last week – TBR View

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte shared some good team news at his press conference on Thursday.

The Spurs manager said Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon returned to training ahead of the Aston Villa clash.

Sessegnon has been out for a month with a muscular injury picked up in the 5-0 victory over Everton on 7 March.

Meanwhile, Reguilon missed last weekend’s 5-1 home win over Newcastle with a knee problem.

In their absence, Conte opted to move Matt Doherty to left wing-back and start Emerson Royal on the right.

The Brazilian grew into the game, worked hard and got a goal, poking home from close range after good work from Doherty.

However, Conte’s comments suggest Emerson could once again drop out of the Tottenham starting XI.

The Italian described Sessegnon and Reguilon’s return to training as “good news” three times while speaking to football.london.

Although Conte acknowledged the 21-year-old would need more time to get up to speed, it still suggests both of those would be shoo-ins for the XI.

Likewise, Doherty is in great form and is likely to return to the right flank, which would mean no room for Emerson.

Nonetheless, the 23-year-old will surely feel more confident about his future at Tottenham following his display last week.

Many players coming from overseas leagues will need time to acclimatise to the Premier League.

Emerson is a young player and, though he hasn’t found it easy, he seems to be on the right track.

Graham Roberts deemed the Brazilian “amazing” after one performance earlier this season.

And Lucas Moura insisted that the summer signing will be a star for Tottenham in the future.

“I think we are building a good friendship,” he told Sky Sports earlier this year.

“He is a very good guy, young player. He is doing very well and he has a great future.”