Hugo Lloris has been candid about his struggles over not being able to play any football during his final six months at Tottenham and admitted that he is now excited to get back out on the pitch for Los Angeles FC.
It perhaps came as a surprise to many Spurs fans when Lloris stayed put at the club last summer. The former Tottenham captain had been relegated to third-choice behind Guglielmo Vicario and Fraser Forster and was thus a mere spectator during Ange Postecoglou’s revamp.
The Frenchman admitted that it was not easy to come to training every day without having a clear target in front of him but he revealed that he contributed in the ways he could behind the scenes.
Lloris told The Athletic: “Let’s be honest, it was a difficult period over the last six months. When you are a professional footballer, you wake up in the morning and set goals and targets. For the past six months, I have been training every day without a proper goal, and I have missed the competition a lot.
“At the same time, I have been trying to take it positively. I spent more time with the staff and my family and organised my life for the future. I didn’t want to waste time because I had two injuries in the first half of 2023, so I trained well.
“It was really interesting to be inside of the new Tottenham. I was part of every training session and analysis before and after the game. For my football knowledge, there was so much I could add. Ange has his own vision and football approach, and it was really interesting to see it closely.”
Hugo Lloris is excited to embark on his MLS journey
Lloris is expected to step out onto the pitch for the first time since April of last year when LAFC began their Major League Soccer season with a clash against Seatle Sounders on Sunday.
The World Cup winner explained that he was quite keen on the challenge of moving to the United States when the opportunity arose, revealing that he is settling in well in his new surroundings.
The 37-year-old said: “I have now arrived at a point in my career where I feel free to decide my next project and destination, and I liked everything about MLS.
“They have a budget for the goalkeeper spot that they couldn’t go over because the rules are different, so there was not even a question about salary. It shows how much I wanted to come!
“I don’t have the national team anymore because I retired a year ago, so this was a chance to discover a new continent with my family. California is an amazing place.
“I have had a great and warm welcome by everybody at the club. I can feel that the relationships are very natural and simple, and everything is easy — I appreciate this environment. It’s very easy to talk to the guys and share what’s happening on and off the field. Step by step, I’m finding my place.”
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It certainly cannot have been easy for someone like Hugo to watch on from the sidelines, having been used to playing every week from quite a young age, especially given that he was the ex-captain of the side.
However, we know that the Frenchman is the ultimate professional and he would thus have not been a minute’s trouble behind the scenes and would have supported his teammates in any way that he could.