Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury, interim manager Ryan Mason said on Friday, as the club try to keep their hopes of playing in Europe alive next season.
Lloris came off at half-time in Spurs’ humiliating 6-1 Premier League loss to Newcastle United last month, having netted five times in the opening 21 minutes, and Fraser Forster came on as his substitute in goal.
Lloris, who joined Tottenham in 2012, has played nearly 450 times for the club, and the 36-year-old Frenchman still has one year left on his contract. But British media have reported that he could leave the club at the end of the campaign. “Hugo is out for the season. We got the results. So he won’t be playing for us again this season,” Mason told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace. “It is not possible to talk about next season, but what I can say is that he has a very important role to play for us until the end of the season”.
“He is our captain and we need him to be an important part of the group, and he will be.” Spurs are in seventh place, nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, having taken one point in their last four matches.
Asked about speculation regarding the identity of the club’s next permanent manager, Mason said: “Naturally when there is uncertainty there are problems and there are names that come up. . It’s part of football. But I don’t devote my energy or attention to outside noise or speculation.” “Within these walls we are together, we work together and we have a common goal, which is to try to get as many results as possible until the end of the season”. Palace, who have been in great form since the return of Roy Hodgson in charge of the team, have won four of their last six matches.
“It’s true that there is no choice but to go after results until the end of the season,” said Mason, before adding: “But, of course, we are playing Crystal Palace in a very good period – probably his best period this season. “So it’s a tough game, but we’re confident that in our stadium, in front of our fans, we can get a good result.” Mason said Ryan Sessegnon would miss the rest of the campaign but right-back Emerson Royal could return while it was “too early to set a return date” for midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
