Tottenham Hotspur need to loan out £14.5m player in January after Conte blocked his summer exit – opinion

By Ben Evans

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has had to deal with plenty of injuries this season.

He’s currently working out the best way to set up his side with both Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison unavailable.

Conte decided to go with three men in midfield against Manchester United.

He introduced Yves Bissouma to the tried and tested partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

By the time the game was over, Conte gave Oliver Skipp a brief cameo.

Conte will be desperate to return to a front three quickly, which means even fewer opportunities for one of Tottenham’s forgotten players.

Pape Matar Sarr has been part of the first-team squad this season, after a loan move at FC Metz last season.

He joined from the French club for £14.5m last summer before immediately going back on loan.

Sarr’s lack of involvement this season suggests he needs to go on loan again in January.

Sarr needs January loan move – TBR View

The Senegalese international is certainly a player with plenty of potential.

The 19-year-old was a regular in Ligue 1 for Metz last season, and won the African Cup of Nations with Senegal.

He was named the African Young Player of the Year this summer, a huge accolade for the midfielder.

However, his career has started to stall at Spurs, as he’s yet to play a minute of senior football in any competition.

Sarr was expected to go on loan again this summer, before his exit was blocked just before the transfer window shut.

He’s regularly trained with Tottenham’s first-team, and appears to be popular with his teammates.

This sadly hasn’t translated into minutes on the pitch, although Conte has admitted he’s a ‘really important prospect’.

Sarr needs a loan move to fulfil the potential he’s shown when handed opportunities.

After being involved at AFCON last year, his chances of going to the World Cup could now be in doubt given his lack of game time.

With the likes of Skipp and Harvey White not playing in the Premier League, there’s no guarantee Sarr could be given a chance in next month’s Carabao Cup tie.

A January loan move seems like the most sensible option for Sarr right now.