Alasdair Gold explains why two Spurs players did not feature against Man City

Alasdair Gold has revealed that Bryan Gil missed the clash against Manchester City after sustaining a knock in training while Matt Doherty was not fit enough to start the game either.

Gil has been one of Tottenham’s stand-out performers since the Premier League’s restart and reports indicated that Antonio Conte has decided against loaning out the winger during the current transfer window (Estadio Deportivo).

Bryan Gil
(Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)

So, it was a bit of a surprise to see the Spaniard’s name missing from Spurs’ matchday squad for their trip to the Etihad, with Richarlison being the only attacking option on the bench.

Gold took to social media ahead of the game to reveal that the 21-year-old had picked up a knock in training.

The bigger surprise on Thursday was perhaps the fact that Conte gave Emerson Royal the nod to start at right wing-back ahead of Doherty, who had to make do with a place on the bench.

The Brazilian certainly silenced his critics by putting in a superb display and even finding the back of the net.

Gold also explained Doherty’s absence, revealing that the 30-year-old felt unwell in the week and thus was not fit enough to start again City.

Spurs Web Opinion

Emerson showed yesterday why Conte continues to persist with him despite Spurs fans universally questioning his fit for the wing-back role.

It will be interesting to see if the Brazilian’s performance impacts Tottenham’s decision on whether to offload him during this transfer window.

My gut feeling is that if we sign Porro (or another right wing-back), the club will loan out Spence and hang on to both Doherty and Emerson.

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