Conte says 22-year-old Spurs man played with an injury against Leicester

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has revealed that Emerson Royal was playing with a “physical problem” against Leicester.

The 22-year-old started for Spurs in their dramatic 3-2 Premier League win in midweek, but struggled to make an impact.

Conte took Emerson off at half-time and, speaking on Friday, the manager said his player was “suffering a lot”.

The Tottenham boss then went on to thank the full-back for his availability in the game.

“About Emerson,” Conte told football.london.

“Must be very clear that he started the game with a physical problem and I can only thank him for his availability.

“He was suffering a lot in the first half. He is only 22 years old.”

Emerson has come under criticism in recent weeks for some of his displays, including on Wednesday.

However, with Conte revealing the player was carrying a painful knock, it’s no surprise he wasn’t at his best.

Tottenham have been linked with a new right wing-back in the January transfer window, despite Emerson only joining last summer.

It seems unlikely that Spurs would be willing to offload him already – Conte will surely want to see how much he progresses.

Given Emerson made himself available for the game despite not being fully fit, that shows a great attitude.

And as Conte mentioned, he’s only 22 – there’s plenty of time for him to develop into a superb player.

‘I can only thank him’: Conte says 22-year-old Spurs man played with an injury against Leicester