Roberto De Zerbi may not be able to rely upon Conor Gallagher for the full 90 minutes of Tottenham Hotspur‘s crunch clash with Leeds United.
Gallagher produced his best display yet in a Spurs top since arriving in the winter in last week’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa.
The England international was on the scoresheet and was superb all-round at Villa Park in a massive win for Tottenham.
There is no question that Gallagher will need to be on top of his game if Spurs are to complete their mission of staying in the Premier League.
But a new injury update out of Hotspur HQ suggests the central midfielder is perhaps not 100 per cent fit.
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Conor Gallagher spotted with strapping in Tottenham training
Gallagher was hailed as “exceptional” by Gary Lineker for his performance against Aston Villa – and rightly so.
He registered 11 defensive contributions, which was more than any other player on the day, and also recorded six recoveries.
Not only was he very efficient in terms of his defensive qualities, which can often go under the radar, Gallagher also registered a 100 per cent shot conversion and racked up 43 passes.
However, footage shared by Tottenham from their training base in the build-up to Monday’s Leeds clash is not too encouraging.
Gallagher was seen with strapping on his left knee, although it did not seem to impact his involvement too much.
De Zerbi did not provide any update on Gallagher in terms of a knock at his pre-match press conference, but the Italian will need a back-up plan in place should the midfielder not be able to play a full part.
In more positive news, James Maddison may finally be ready to play a small part in the showdown with Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Gallagher stands out in two particular areas for Tottenham
Gallagher may have caught the eye in the West Midlands last week, but plenty of what he does goes under the radar.
For example, the former Atletico Madrid ace is fouled 1.94 times per 90 minutes in the Premier League.
That is a figure only Xavi Simons (2.26) can top among Spurs players, with free-kicks a massive part of modern-day football.
Gallagher also ranks third among Tottenham players for interceptions per 90 with 1.55, behind Rodrigo Bentancur’s 1.66 and Radu Dragusin’s 2.81.
There is also an intangible asset Gallagher brings in that he is vastly experienced and has played under a coaching master in Diego Simeone.
With those qualities, assuming he is fit, Spurs know they can continue to rely on Gallagher in this survival fight.
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