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Medical expert Ben Dinnery has revealed Antonio Conte’s unique stance on Tottenham Hotspur’s injuries.

The Lowdown: Conte’s comments

On Wednesday, Spurs winger Lucas Moura missed his team’s Champions League clash against Marseille due to an inflamed tendon. Ahead of the match, Conte spoke of the Brazilian’s absence, drawing similarities to his own playing career.

As quoted by football.london, the Italian claimed: “About Lucas, he has this inflammation in his tendon. I hope to recover him very soon, because for sure when I was a player, I had a lot of pain in my tendon. You know very well tendon inflammation doesn’t finish in only one week, two weeks”.

The Latest: Dinnery’s claim

Dinnery believes that Conte’s own injury experiences will make him much more understanding of his players’ issues, compared with other Premier League managers.

Speaking with Football Insider, the medical expert claimed: “It certainly helps in understanding the mindset and pressure placed on players to return quickly.

“Those mental feelings around being withdrawn from the squad and not involved with team-building exercises, it helps to understand those.

“Things have moved on a lot since Conte’s playing days. We are also talking about different countries and leagues. With that comes different pressures. But it certainly helps to have an understanding.

“A lot of it comes down to the player and how they deal with the situation. With this, we were only talking about a short-term absence from the side. He won’t be too concerned.”

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The Verdict: Relief for Moura

Tottenham are hard at work preparing for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Sporting Lisbon, which will see Lilywhites centre-back Eric Dier take on his boyhood club.

The Portuguese outfit will be coming into the game on a high, having beaten Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in a dominant victory last Wednesday.

As previously mentioned by Conte, Moura will understandably be unavailable for the fixture due to his inflamed tendon, although he is back on the training pitch fighting to get fit.

To Moura, he has his manager’s sympathies – much to his relief.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is expected to make his comeback from injury in time for the Toffees’ next Premier League game at Southampton on 1st October. 

The lowdown

The 25-year-old has yet to play for his club this season after sustaining a knee injury in training prior to the first match of the campaign against Chelsea.

Frank Lampard had a late call to make on the Englishman for Sunday’s clash against West Ham as he nears a return to fitness, but he opted to leave the forward out of the squad.

The latest

Joe Thomas of The Liverpool Echo relayed an update from Lampard after the weekend win over David Moyes’ side.

The Everton manager expects Calvert-Lewin to be ready for the trip to St Mary’s after choosing to play the long game and holding him back on Sunday.

Thomas tweeted: “Lampard confident Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be available for Southampton (the next game). Says leaving him out of squad was his decision – and he spoke with DCL about it.

“Thinking was he did not want to risk him when has two more weeks to ensure he has ‘strikers to choose from’.”

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The verdict

After Everton picked up their first Premier League win of the season against the Hammers, this represents more good news for Lampard and co.

Calvert-Lewin, who has been dubbed ‘exceptional’ by Sky Sports’ Pete Graves, offers a significant goal threat, having netted 26 times for the Toffees since the start of the 2020/21 season.

The 25-year-old also offers excellent work rate out of possession, ranking in the 88th percentile among positional peers in the big five European leagues for tackles per 90 and the 75th percentile for clearances per game (via FBRef).

Lampard could have something of a selection dilemma up front against the Saints after Neal Maupay netted the winning goal against West Ham on Sunday. Indeed, journalist Simon Phillips has already warned that he can’t see the duo playing together up front, and he expects one of them to be left on the bench.

It’s not a bad selection headache to have…

Gabby Agbonlahor has issued a positive verdict on Everton’s squad despite the latest injury sustained by striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Lowdown: Calvert-Lewin’s injuries

Ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, news emerged from the Merseyside club that the 20-year-old had suffered a knee injury which would keep him out for the start of the season. However, his return to action has since been delayed, meaning that the England international is yet to play a single game this term.

Despite getting close to a return to full fitness, the Liverpool Echo recently reported that Calvert-Lewin had felt a tightness in his leg and had consequently been withdrawn from training, with his absence documented the following day by his omission from images taken at Finch Farm.

The Latest: Agbonlahor’s comments

Agbonlahor, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, has said that he was nervous for the Toffees going into the season due to their various injuries, but a strong summer in the transfer market has put him at ease.

Speaking with Football Insider about the strength of the Blues’ transfer window, the former Aston Villa attacker claimed: “I was very worried at the start of the season for Everton. The transfers they’ve made I’ve been very impressed with. In midfield, two new signings look rock solid in there.

“Neal Maupay will score goals, he adds to that attacking threat and you’ve got Calvert-Lewin to come back.

“With Calvert-Lewin coming back, it will be competition for that striker spot and that’s what you need as a manager. They will be absolutely fine, Everton, they will beat their fair share of teams.”

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The Verdict: Calvert-Lewin getting too injury prone?

Just last season, Calvert-Lewin only managed 17 Premier League appearances as he was out of action for 125 days with a fractured toe and quadricep issues.

Having failed to make a single appearance so far this season due to various problems, his lack of availability is starting to become a nuisance at Goodison Park.

Having bagged 58 goals in 191 appearances for the club, the striker’s talent and value to the team is beyond doubt.

However, if he is so frequently going to be out injured, at which point will Frank Lampard move on to looking for alternative options up top?

Leeds United have been dealt an injury blow ahead of their Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace this weekend.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Yorkshire Evening Post, who claim that, after missing the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday due to a twisted ankle, Adam Forshaw looks as if he will remain sidelined for the trip to Selhurst Park this weekend – with the central midfielder being yet to recover from his knock.

Bad news for Marsch

While it is true that Forshaw has not exactly been a regular fixture of Jesse Marsch’s starting XI following the 48-year-old’s arrival at the club in February this year – featuring in just nine games under the American’s management, largely down to his injury setbacks – should the 30-year-old once again be ruled out of action this weekend, it will nevertheless be bad news for the manager.

Indeed, despite his lengthy injury layoffs, the £2.6m-rated midfielder proved over his 22 Premier League appearances last season that, when fit, he is an extremely reliable option in the middle of the park, making an average of 2.4 tackles – the sixth-most of the Whites squad – 0.9 interceptions, 0.5 clearances and winning 4.1 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per game.

The £20k-per-week talent also chipped in for his side in a creative capacity, registering one assist, as well as completing an average of 31.4 passes – at an 84% success rate – finding his man with 2.4 long balls and making 0.6 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the 30-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.73, ranking him as Leeds’ 13th-best performer in the top flight of English football last time out – proving his ability as an extremely solid squad player.

And, with the Premier League fixtures coming thick and fast for the Whites in the build-up to the Qatar World Cup next month, with Leeds playing eight times before now and November 12, squad rotation will be an incredibly important factor of Marsch’s job over the next few weeks – as the 48-year-old simply must keep as many of his first-teamers as fresh as possible.

As such, Forshaw’s continued absence will undoubtedly come as a blow to the American ahead of the trip to Palace, as not only does the 30-year-old’s unavailability see the manager lose an extremely solid option in the middle of the park, but it also means the likes of Tyler Adams and Marc Roca are now unlikely to be afforded any sort of rest in south London.

Crystal Palace will be without midfielder Will Hughes against Leicester City, Matt Woosnam reports.

The Lowdown: Super-sub

The 27-year-old has made 27 appearances for the Eagles after joining last summer, with seven of those coming during the current campaign.

Hughes is yet to make a start in the Premier League though, with his only 90-minute outing coming against Oxford United in the EFL Cup.

The central midfielder, hailed as a ‘technical’ player by Dan Cook, has missed just one matchday squad in the top flight in 2022/23, but it looks as if that will become two this weekend.

The Latest: Illness

Woosnam took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to provide a team news update from Patrick Vieira’s press conference.

He said that there are no new injuries but Hughes has been ill ‘so won’t be available’.

The Verdict: Options

Hughes has been called upon by Vieira for six cameo displays from the bench, so this update isn’t ideal for the Palace boss.

However, the Frenchman will still have the likes of Jairo Riedewald and Luka Milivojevic as possible options from the bench, providing he goes with the same side that beat Leeds United last time out.

Jeffrey Schlupp was used at left-back last weekend but can also provide Vieira with another midfield option if needs be, which could allow Tyrick Mitchell to return to the starting XI.

While Wolves’ depleted side were suffering a 3-0 loss against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, Dion Sanderson was inspiring Birmingham City to a 3-0 win in the Championship.

The Wolves academy graduate was sent on loan to the Blues this summer despite a lack of defensive options at Molineux, and the Old Gold are now paying the price.

During the summer, Bruno Lage felt it best to send the 22-year-old back on loan to St Andrew’s, with Conor Coady and Willy Boly following him out of the door after Romain Saiss had already left.

This left Wolves with very few central defenders at the club, as only Nathan Collins was brought in, which left just the inexperienced Toti and Yerson Mosquera available as backup options to the preferred duo of Collins and Max Kilman.

Wolves have already emphasised why this was a poor decision, as Collins’ sending off against Manchester City first forced Lage to deploy Ruben Neves at centre-back in the defeat against West Ham, before Toti started at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Old Gold could have had a more experienced option available in Sanderson, as the young defender has already enjoyed loan spells with Birmingham, Sunderland, Cardiff and QPR in the past.

During his time with Sunderland, Sanderson earned a lot of praise from former manager Lee Johnson.

He said: “He’s a centre-half and at his age level he is an absolute Rolls-Royce.

“Obviously he is stepping up to men’s football and when you do that you come up against different challenges, as Dion did yesterday and he came through that.

“In the Championship when he was on loan at Cardiff he played at right-back, which suited the style they were playing at that point, quite a direct style when he had Sean Morrison next to him.

“He has competence on the ball as a right-back, he’s very good on the ball as a centre-half, and obviously he has still got a bit of physical maturation still to come.”

He has been a vital member of Birmingham’s side this season, playing every minute in the Championship, and he produced another superb display on Saturday, scoring and keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Bristol City, with WhoScored awarding him a strong average rating of 6.85 for the season so far.

While Lage’s mistake may haunt Wolves this season, the incoming manager at Molineux – which looks likely to be recently sacked Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui – will know that they can save millions on a potential Coady replacement by giving Sanderson a much-deserved chance in the first team.

West Ham United saw their recent four-game winning run in all competitions come to an end on Sunday afternoon, with David Moyes’ side held to a frustrating draw away to relegation-threatened Southampton at St Mary’s.

The Hammers had fallen behind early on following Romain Perraud’s deflected strike, before skipper Declan Rice ended his lengthy Premier League goal drought to fire home superbly just after the hour mark, with the two sides left to settle for a point following what was an entertaining encounter on the south coast.

The overriding feeling may well be one of disappointment for the away side having enjoyed 61% possession on the day and recorded 25 shots to their opponents’ ten, with it something of a missed opportunity against a side who currently find themselves in the drop zone.

The Irons had not been helped heading into the game, however, as a result of a succession of absences in the defensive ranks, with the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson all missing out, forcing Moyes to deploy something of a makeshift backline in a back five formation.

That injury crisis resulted in the return of full-back Vladimir Coufal to the starting XI having sat out the last two top-flight games, although the Czech Republic international failed to take that chance after producing a below-par display on the day.

The £10.8m-rated dud was unable to provide the required attacking impetus from his wing-back berth, notably completing just two of his eight crosses against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, with football.london’s Jonty Colman noting: “his crosses were just short of what was needed and by some way too”.

The 30-year-old also proved something of a liability in possession as he squandered the ball on 21 occasions during his 90-minute outing, subsequently recording a rather dismal 73% pass accuracy rate as a result.

The former Slavia Prague man had lost his place to summer signing Thilo Kehrer in recent weeks in the league and it was easy to see why following another lukewarm performance, with the Evening Standard’s Malik Ouzia echoing that view by stating that it was “another display which showed why the Czech has lost his shirt recently.”

Such a showing will likely have done the 32-cap machine few favours when Moyes does have greater defensive options to choose from once again, having only just been criticised for his lack of ‘end product’, by the aforementioned Colman, following Thursday’s win over Anderlecht.

An undoubtedly hard-working asset – as illustrated by the fact that the full-back won 100% of his aerial duels this afternoon – it would appear that Coufal is simply lacking that much-needed quality in an attacking sense.

Celtic could seemingly find it difficult to keep hold of their star men, amid reported interest in midfielder Matt O’Riley.

What’s the word?

The 21-year-old is currently attracting admiring glances from across Europe, with the former MK Dons man – who is said to be valued at around £20m – reportedly being scouted by Premier League giants, Manchester United, during the summer window.

More recent speculation has suggested that Leicester City are also stepping up their interest in the Denmark U21 international at present, having reportedly sent scouts to watch the playmaker in action at Parkhead during the Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig.

Amid that speculation, journalist Pete O’Rourke – in an interview with Football FanCast – has suggested that the Old Firm outfit could well have an issue trying to keep the suitors at bay.

Asked about the Hoops’ confidence with regards to keeping the youngster at the club, the transfer insider stated: “Yeah obviously it’s always tough for the likes of Celtic and Rangers when English Premier League clubs do come calling for their players.

“Obviously, the finances on offer in the Premier League compared to Scotland are vast, so again that will be a big problem for Celtic as they try to keep hold of O’Riley.”

Van Dijk 2.0

As O’Rourke alluded to, the Glasgow side – as well as rivals Rangers – are no doubt seemingly used to seeing their star assets poached by clubs south of the border, with most finding it hard to turn down the glitz and glamour on offer at the top level of English football.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will likely be dreading the loss of a talent such as O’Riley, with the London-born ace having been a hugely impressive figure since his January arrival, proving something of a bargain in relation to his initial £1.5m transfer fee.

The 6 foot 2 “magician” – as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has unsurprisingly earned admirers as a result of his sparkling form of late, with four goals and seven assists in 36 appearances across all competitions to date.

The “mature” gem – as dubbed by national team coach Jesper Sorensen – has been producing performances that have belied his years, with it having been a real meteoric rise of late for the promising talent.

As recent history has proved, the Scottish Premiership side could well be powerless to prevent O’Riley from making a move away should he so wish, with Parkhead having become something of a stepping stone in the last decade or so.

That was no doubt evident in the case of Virgil van Dijk, with the towering defender having been signed for a reported fee of just £2.6m from Dutch outfit Groningen back in 2013 at the age of 21, before being moved on to Southampton just two years later for £13m.

While that represented a tidy profit for the Bhoys, it has proven a difficult ask to attempt to fill the Netherlands international’s void in the side over the years, with it only current star Cameron Carter-Vickers who has seemingly been able to replace the towering titan at the club.

Postecoglou will no doubt be hoping that a repeat scenario does not occur if O’Riley is to be sold, with it set to prove a hard task to be able to replace such an exciting talent on the cheap.

The Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane was left praising the performance of James Sands as Glasgow Rangers won 4-1 at Ibrox on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Much-needed victory

After drawing 1-1 at home to Livingston in the Premiership last weekend, which was followed up by a 3-0 loss at Napoli in the Champions League in midweek, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team needed a comfortable win against Aberdeen yesterday to help get themselves back on track.

They fell behind midway through the first half through Connor Barron’s goal, but Antonio Colak, John Lundstram, James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos got themselves on the scoresheet to ensure a comfortable home victory in the end.

The Latest: Sands praised

Taking to Twitter, McFarlane was full of praise for Sands in particular, calling his performance ‘outstanding’.

He also suggested that the defensive midfielder was an ‘unsung hero’ for Rangers, having not registered a goal or assist but impressing throughout.

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The Verdict: Faith repaid

Saturday was only Sands’ fifth start in the Premiership so far this season, and he certainly repaid the faith shown in him by Van Bronckhorst.

The USA international won four of his duels against Aberdeen and also made one clearance, one tackle and three accurate long balls in the match (SofaScore).

He boasted an 89% pass accuracy, the joint-fourth highest of his team-mates, and recorded 91 touches of the ball, the second-most of any Gers player (SofaScore).

It was a complete performance worthy of Sands keeping his starting place in the Rangers line-up.

Manchester City reportedly fear that Ilkay Gundogan could be on his way out of the club at the end of the season, according to recent reports. 

The Lowdown: Summer exodus

The summer transfer window saw the Premier League champions cash in on the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko, while also seeing Fernandinho leave as a free agent.

Looking ahead to next summer’s transfer market, it seems as though the club could be at risk of seeing another one of their key players wave goodbye to the Etihad Stadium once the current season ends.

The Latest: Gundogan to follow?

According to Football Insider on Monday, City fear that Gundogan will snub their contract offer and leave on a free transfer once his current deal expires in June.

The report also claims that the Citizens have ‘been in contact with Gundogan’s camp to discuss an extension but there is no agreement currently in place’.

It is further stated that the midfielder ‘has suitors from the Premier League as well as on the Continent amid fears at the Etihad Stadium he is keen on a new challenge’.

The Verdict: A key figure for City

After scoring two title-winning goals in the final game of City’s 2021/22 Premier League season, the German has shown in this campaign how vital a figure he is for the team and Pep Guardiola.

With 10 league games under his belt, only Kevin De Bruyne (38) has made more key passes than the 32-year-old (21) among City’s squad this term. From a defensive point of view, only three other players at the club have made more recoveries than the ex-Dortmund midfielder (45), highlighting just how useful he is off the ball as well as in possession

Hailed as a “magnificent” player by BBC football writer Phil McNulty in the past, Gundogan would definitely be a big miss for City going forward if he were to leave the club next summer.

With that in mind, we feel that the Etihad hierarchy should do all that they can to get the player to sign a new deal with Guardiola’s side.