Soccer Football - Champions League - Tottenham Hotspur Training - Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, London, Britain - September 6, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur's Matt Doherty and Harry Kane during training Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Tottenham Hotspur defender Matt Doherty must not be doing enough in training to impress manager Antonio Conte, says reporter Paul Brown.
The Lowdown: Emerson favoured…
The right-wing-back slot has been a major point of debate so far this season at Spurs with defender Emerson Royal consistently being favoured for the role.
Conte’s favouritism of the former Real Betis star has been questioned with Emerson featuring far more at full-back on that side than any of Tottenham’s other options – namely Doherty and summer signing Djed Spence.
The latter pair have struggled to break past Emerson for Premier League minutes and reporter Brown believes this could be down to behind-the-scenes factors.
The Latest: Brown makes Doherty claim…
The journalist claims something may have gone on with Spence at N17 whilst Doherty will simply not be doing enough to convince Conte in training when compared to his Brazilian counterpart.
Brown explained to GiveMeSport, when asked about the RWB situation:
“Something has obviously happened there, because it’s clear that Conte did not push to sign Djed Spence and doesn’t think he’s ready and it’s clear Doherty is not doing in training what Emerson is.”
The Verdict: Interesting…
Doherty was thriving at one point towards the back end of last season before his injury, earning rave reviews for his performances under Conte at right-back.
The Republic of Ireland international, called an ‘exceptional player’ by pundit and former Sunderland defender Gary Breen, clearly possesses quality on his day so it’s intriguing to see his lack of game time.
As for Spence, the exciting talent is perhaps still too raw for Conte’s liking but his performances for Nottingham Forest last year back that there is also a good player there.
It will certainly be interesting to see if either man can force their way past Emerson and into Conte’s favour over the coming campaign.
About the Author
