Injury expert Ben Dinnery has explained Tottenham waited to send Oliver Skipp for surgery on his groin injury when their approach to allowing it heal naturally failed.
Skipp went under the knife in the United States last month to fix a problem in his pelvic area which has kept him out of action since late January.
Antonio Conte recently confirmed the surgery had been a success while expecting the 21-year-old to make a return when Spurs embark on their pre-season preparations this summer (Football.London).
The injury had plagued Skipp for a number of months during the campaign, although the time taken for Tottenham to make a decision was normal according to Dinnery, with injuries of such a manner correctable without surgery.
However, the injury specialist explained the midfielder’s problem did not heal within the time period which led to surgery being the club’s final option.
Dinnery told Football Insider: “We have seen it referenced as a sports hernia. It is an injury known as Gilmore’s Groin. It can be managed conservatively initially. It is like a dull ache or a burning sensation.
“If you reduce your load, that can help alleviate those problems. You might have a period of two or three months to see if the issue corrects itself. With Skipp, that wasn’t the case. That is why they have gone down this surgical route.
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“I wouldn’t say it’s unusual for this to happen. The conservative route hasn’t worked this time but it does have generally pretty good success rates.”
Skipp’s season was brought to an early end with the England U21 international appearing in 28 appearances across all competitions (Transfermarkt).
His campaign also saw him rewarded with a new long-term contract, which will keep him in north London until 2027 (Spurs official).
Spurs Web Opinion
This provides a pretty good answer as to why Spurs waited so long to allow Skipp to undergo surgery.
If the problem started to heal on its own then he would likely still be playing some part this season, but that wasn’t the case so it was best to essentially give him a fresh start with rest into the new campaign.
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