Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly hoping that manager Antonio Conte will be well enough to watch Sunday's Premier League clash against Manchester City from the stands as he recovers from surgery.
On Wednesday, the club announced that Conte was to undergo an operation to remove his gallbladder after experiencing "severe abdominal pain" in the past few days.
The 53-year-old was diagnosed with cholecystitis, a condition where the gallbladder becomes inflamed, and he flew back to his native Italy to have the organ removed via a cholecystectomy.
Conte confirmed on Wednesday evening that the procedure had been a success, writing on Instagram: "Thank you for your lovely messages.
"My surgery has gone well and I'm already feeling better. Now it's time to recover, I can't wait to get back on the field with the team."
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Tottenham stated that Conte would return to the touchline after an unspecified period of recuperation, leaving Cristian Stellini in charge for Sunday's game with the champions.
Nevertheless, the Evening Standard claims that the former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss could potentially be well enough to return to North London in time for the match and watch the contest from inside the stadium.
Furthermore, Conte's chances of taking charge have not been completely ruled out, but the report adds that the 53-year-old is "unlikely" to take up his usual seat in the dugout.
Instead, Conte could keep an eye on proceedings from the director's box and communicate with Stellini during the match, and he could still keep in touch with his staff from Italy if he is not given the green light to travel.
A separate report from Corriere dello Sport states that Conte first begun experiencing symptoms of cholecystitis after last weekend's 3-0 FA Cup win over Preston North End, and he quickly returned to his family in Italy.
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With the Italian said to be in "excellent health", the report speculates that he could even be back on the touchline as early as next weekend for Spurs' Premier League clash with Leicester City.
Should the trip to the King Power on February 11 come too early for Conte, his first game back in charge could come on his return to San Siro for Spurs' Champions League last-16 first leg with AC Milan on February 14.
Conte has posted 37 wins, 10 draws and 19 defeats from his 66 games in charge of Spurs since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in 2021, but his contract only runs until the end of the season.
Tottenham enter the weekend sitting fifth in the Premier League table, three points adrift of Manchester United and Newcastle United, both of whom have a game in hand.
Ben Knapton
