Emerson Royal looks on course to finish the campaign as Tottenham's right wing-back as Antonio Conte's side try to wrap up a top-four finish. Now three points clear of Arsenal with seven games of the term remaining following their 4-0 triumph at Aston Villa, Spurs were dealt a huge blow in the victory with Matt Doherty sustaining a season-ending knee injury.
Going to ground early on in the contest following a challenge from Villa's Matty Cash, the in-form player tried to play on a couple of times before he was finally replaced by Sergio Reguilon. fooball.london understands that the scans on the injury have now revealed that Doherty ruptured his medial collateral ligament in his knee and will be out for up to 12 weeks.
Doherty had operated at left wing-back in the past two games due to Reguilon and Ryan Sessegnon's recent injuries, with Emerson restored to the team on the right flank. Previously losing his position in the XI to the ex-Wolves man back in February, the Brazilian now has the perfect opportunity to make his case ahead of a pivotal summer at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Tottenham aren't exactly blessed with options at right wing-back at present as Japhet Tanganga is also out for the campaign following surgery on his right knee, thus meaning Emerson will be the man to start there unless the head coach springs a major surprise. Some fans have long called for Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura to be utilised as wing-backs just as Victor Moses was in Conte's Chelsea team, although the Italian has shown no sign so far of wanting to convert his two wingers.
Another option would be to use Dejan Kulusevski as a right wing-back, but that would then take away from Tottenham's thrilling front three with the Swede already building up such a devastating understanding with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. As Emerson has been a regular in the Premier League under Conte having only failed to feature in four league matches under him, it would be extremely harsh if the 23-year-old wasn't given his opportunity with Doherty on the sidelines.
Signed from Barcelona as a right-back to play in Nuno Espirito Santo's back four, the summer addition has had to try and balance adapting to the pace and intensity of the Premier League with also trying to get used to a more attacking role in the team following Conte's change of system. His performances as a result have been erratic at times, his decision making and final ball in the final third often letting him down as well as some sloppy play in key areas.
There have been some good showings from the player as a wing-back, though, notably the home win over Crystal Palace in December, and the brilliant win over Man City also highlighted that he can more than do his bit defensively. Certainly an up and down first season at the club, Emerson did admit in an interview last week with Cadena SER in Spain that he feels he is "adapting very well" as he tries to recapture his top form.
"It's very different, the Premier League is much more physical. I think the Premier is improving a lot. Very good players are arriving and you can improve your level a lot. The Premier League allows you to evolve a lot and this attracts footballers a lot," he explained.
"The training sessions are also different because the games require you to be at 100%. You train much more at Tottenham than at a team like Barça or Betis. In Barcelona we did more training on positions, more technique and with the ball. But in the Premier you need to work much more physically and at the moment I'm adapting very well."
A problem position for Tottenham in the first few months of Conte's tenure, a new right wing-back addition was seen as a priority in the January transfer market but the club unfortunately failed to strengthen there. Appearing to be at the top of their list for the summer as a result of their failure in January, Spurs have been getting plenty of joy from right wing-back over the past two months.
In that period Doherty has recaptured the form he displayed week in, week out at Wolves to show everyone that he can be Conte's first-choice right wing-back in 2022/23 after his previous struggles. Conte and Fabio Paratici now just need to decide whether they look to bring in another player for the role or they persist with the Irishman and Emerson in their plans.
The Brazilian now has seven games remaining in the season to show both that he can be part of Tottenham's future under Conte amid reports of a summer exit after only one year in N17. With Doherty seizing his opportunity with both hands due to the struggles of Emerson, the Brazilian now needs to take his in wake of his teammate's unfortunate injury.
