Antonio Conte has admitted that doctors stopped him from returning to Hotspur Way following Tottenham's FA Cup defeat against Sheffield United. Having undergone gallbladder surgery at the start of February before returning in time for the Leicester game after a short break, two days after their Champions League defeat at AC Milan it was confirmed by the club that the head coach would spend more time in his home country to fully rest and recuperate from surgery.
Expected to return to Hotspur Way last week with Sheffield United and Wolves on the agenda, Conte will be back in charge for Wednesday's vital Round of 16 second leg showdown against Milan as his team look to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, the 53-year-old admitted that his intention was to be back in N17 following the 1-0 loss at Sheffield United but he was blocked by doctors
"Honestly I wanted to come back after the game against Sheffield United but the doctor stopped me and said: ‘Now, you have to listen to us and wait two more days.’ Then on Sunday you come back to London for the game against Milan," he admitted..
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"For me, honestly, I wanted to come back early but in this case, I should respect the doctor and also Tottenham’s doctors because they were really worried after the game against Milan. The first-leg. For this reason I come back on Sunday.
"Now I repeat I am well. And yesterday I tried during the training session … I have a lot of energy and I want to transfer my energy to my players for this important game.."
On his return to the club's training base ahead of the European encounter, he added: "Yes, yesterday was positive and my feeling was really, really good. You know the importance for me to work with my players, to stay together and work with the staff and prepare for the game.
"From afar, I tried to stay very close to my staff and the players with the video and try to be linked. But, you know well, to be present is totally different. Totally different. I have to thank the whole staff, did a great job. Also, it wasn’t easy for the players to be three weeks without their coach. I know this.
"Now I am back, I’m really happy and we have an important game. It’s a vital game for us because want to go to the next round. We will try to do it and, for this reason, I hope to feel an amazing atmosphere in our stadium.
"Many times our fans gave us the right boost to overcome a difficult situation. We are playing against a team that won the league in Italy, last season. We are talking about a really good team."
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