Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has confirmed that Matt Doherty will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The Republic of Ireland international was on the receiving end of a crunching tackle from Aston Villa's Matty Cash in last weekend's 4-0 win and initially tried to carry on before being replaced by Sergio Reguilon after 20 minutes.
Reports after the game claimed that Doherty was due to sit out the remainder of the season after his issue was revealed to be a serious one, and Conte has now admitted that the defender will be out for the long-term.
"Seven - eight weeks before he recovers. For this reason his season has finished," Conte told reporters ahead of Tottenham's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. "I think the first visit with the doctor said he can recover without surgery. This type of situation requires different opinions to make the best decision.
"This is really bad news for us, you know very well Doherty's improvement on our team. It's a pity because losing a player like him for the rest of the season is not good for us."
Doherty had started to find his feet under Conte with two goals and four assists in 15 Premier League games in 2021-22 and joins Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga in the Spurs treatment room.
Ben Knapton
