Friday, January 7, 2022 at 6:24 PM• Jeroen van Poppel

Antonio Conte needs Steven Bergwijn very much in the coming weeks, the manager of Tottenham Hotspur announced at the press conference. The Italian said there that Heung-Min Son has suffered a muscle injury and is likely to be out until February. That makes the chance that Bergwijn will still be allowed to go to Ajax in January is extremely small.

Son was taken off on Wednesday in the EFL Cup match against Chelsea (2-0 loss) twelve minutes before time. “It was a strange situation,” Conte said Friday. “I did not change him because of an injury, but to give him some rest. A day later he indicated that he suffered from a muscle in his leg and we made a scan. There is a good chance that we will not see him until after the have the international break back.”

Tottenham has a packed schedule and will play no fewer than five games in January. It offers opportunities to Bergwijn, who according to Conte has almost recovered from the calf injury that kept him sidelined in recent weeks. “He feels good,” said Conte, who has usually opted for a three-man vanguard with Son, Harry Kane and Lucas Moura in recent times. The manager also has Dele Alli, Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso available in the attacking line.

Christian Eriksen
Conte was also asked about Christian Eriksen, with whom he became champion at Internazionale last season. Eriksen had his contract terminated in Milan and is currently maintaining his condition at the Swiss FC Chiasso. When asked if it is possible for Eriksen to return to Tottenham, Conte replied that “the door is always open” as far as he is concerned. “I haven’t spoken to him for a while, but it was good to see him back on the training ground. I was scared when I saw what happened last summer, and to see him now, that’s great news. “