Matt Doherty’s injury has handed Emerson Royal a ‘huge chance’ to establish himself at Tottenham, according to former Spurs defender Alan Hutton. Doherty has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up a knee injury during the 4-0 win at Aston Villa last Saturday.
According to The Sun, Spurs are reportedly willing to consider offers for Royal this summer, just a year after his £25.8 million switch from Barcelona. The 23-year-old right-back has struggled in his first season in north London; offering little going forward whilst his defensive awareness has often been called into question.
However, with Doherty and Japhet Tanganga both out of action for the remainder of the campaign, Royal now has an opportunity to revive his Spurs career, according to Hutton. But the former Scotland international revealed he isn’t convinced Royal is up to the rigours of Premier League football.
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“It’s a huge chance for him, (Romero) Hutton told Football Insider. “He’s been given a lot of opportunities and I’m still to be convinced if I’m totally honest. I’ve watched him quite a bit now.
“Before he signed, I was looking at his clips, I was doing my homework and research on him. He was flying forward, putting balls in the box and he was making things happen. I understand he’s coming into a league which is much tougher. He’s not quite been able to do that.
“Defensively, there are still question marks. He’s going to have to go and prove a lot of people and the doubters wrong at the moment.”
Royal is set for an extended run in the Spurs side at right-wing-back in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 formation. However, he will need to improve upon his record of a solitary goal and assist in 37 appearances this season if he’s to become a permanent fixture of the starting XI.
