03 February 2023 , 22:30
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Antonio Conte could be back on the Tottenham bench on Sunday's game against Manchester City - days after a gall bladder operation.
A decision is expected to be made on Saturday with NHS guidelines suggesting the normal recovery period should be 3-4 weeks.
Conte, 53, had surgery on Wednesday after reporting discomfort during last weekend’s FA Cup win at Preston. But asked whether he’d be watching the game from home, his assistant, Cristian Stellini, said: “We don't know yet, the decision will be made on Saturday. We are ready to do everything but Antonio and the doctors that did the surgery for him will probably have to decide.
We have 48 hours, we have two days to decide. We have time. Everything is possible. The surgery was good, he is recovering well. At the moment he is at home.”
Stellini revealed that whatever happens, Conte will help to pick the team to face the defending Premier League champions.
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He added: "We will do it together. Antonio is not here to get a feeling about the training and everything so I will explain it to him and we will decide it together.”
Stellini revealed Conte had been asking about the City showdown as soon as he was able to after his op. “After the surgery it is normal you don't have the energy to speak about (the game),” he went on.
Antonio Conte could manage Tottenham against Man City days after undergoing surgery (Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)“But immediately when he recovered well from the surgery, he called me back and he started to talk about training and the next game.”
Elaborating on when Conte’s back room staff first realised there was a problem, Stellini said: “It was Antonio who called me and explained the situation. Last week he had a problem that we thought was illness, not a problem like this.
“We thought it was more influenza. We have had a lot of players with flu every week so we thought that but when he had scans to check what he was feeling they realised it was a bigger problem and they had to do what they did.
“He was sad about it, but we had to keep going and work. We had the time to speak to Antonio before the surgery about how we would prepare for the next game.
Antonio Conte felt unwell on the bench last weekend (Getty Images)“Then we have lost him for 12 hours, the time (before and after) for him to have the surgery. “The surgery was not difficult and it is important he recovers well. This is the most important thing.”
Conte has endured a tough six months, during which he has grieved the loss of close friends Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihijlovic and Gianluca Vialli. Stellini would not be drawn on whether the Spurs boss’s latest setback could be stress related. He went on: “There is not way of knowing. I don’t know if there is a relation between these things.
“We have to live the time we live, and we have to accept the situation. Maybe more Antonio has to accept the situation. It’s not easy for him not to be here with us but health is more important than everything.”
While doubts remain over Conte, Stellini revealed the squad now has a clean bill of health with even Brazilian forward Lucas Moura fit after an injury-ravaged first half of the season.
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“No, no injuries,” he said. “We also have Lucas back and we are happy to say that because Lucas has been training this week. He played 45 minutes with the junior team and is back.”