- Lloris out until April
- Injured knee vs Man City
- Now misses Champions League last 16
WHAT HAPPENED? Tottenham must make do without their regular number one and club captain Lloris, who picked up a knee injury in their win over Manchester City on Sunday and is now expected to be out of action for between six to eight weeks, according to The Telegraph. The Frenchman will now miss both legs of Spurs' Champions League round of 16 clash with Milan, with backup stopper Fraser Forster set to deputise between the posts.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The report states that Spurs were initially fearful Lloris could even miss the rest of the 2022-23 season as a result of the injury, but they do now expect him to be back well before May. Lloris needed treatment late on in the game as Spurs held on to clinch a huge 1-0 win at home against City, with subsequent scans confirming that he has suffered ligament damage.
AND WHAT'S MORE: Spurs remain hopeful that Lloris will be able to recover from the injury without surgery, but they will continue to check and monitor him. Losing the 36-year-old at this point in the season is a huge blow, with Tottenham chasing down a place in the Premier League's top four and still going strong in both the Champions League and FA Cup.
Milan are also without their first-choice keeper Mike Maignan, who has missed the bulk of the season through injury and looks set to sit out the first leg clash at San Siro on February 14. The Italian champions have struggled in his absence and are slipping away from the top four in Serie A.
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Injury to Lloris means Antonio Conte - who himself has been absent while recovering from surgery - will have to call upon Forster, who has played in both FA Cup games so far and made a further two appearances elsewhere this season.