Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa was just what Spurs needed after their battle for last place in the Champions League all lost over the same weekend. Unfortunately, it comes at a small price.
Matt Doherty, who was substituted after a reckless challenge (you won’t convince me otherwise) by Matty Cash with total impunity, is now ruled out for the season and beyond. This is according to Spurs beat writer Alasdair Gold.
Understand it’s bad news for Matt Doherty and Antonio Conte. The Irishman is out for the rest of Spurs’ season and beyond. Such bad luck for him. All details below. https://t.co/frZkId41MG
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) April 10, 2022
Doherty’s injury is a cruciate ligament tear, which means he will be out for 8-12 weeks. That will last into early preseason for the 2022-23 season, and his return timeline will depend on rehab and fitness.
The Ireland international was in fantastic running form and was able to play at both sides in Conte’s system at full-back. With Sergio Reguilon and Ryan Sessegnon injured, Doherty’s flexibility helped in a pinch and just as the regular full-backs were available, Doherty’s season is now over. This means Emerson Royal will be taking the majority of the minutes at right-back the rest of the way.
The first half of yesterday’s game was overly tough and at times violent. Villa made it clear they wanted to be physical and the whole “he’s got the ball” argument goes out the window when there’s a specific rule about excessive force and perseverance. The picture above is the tackle that ended Doherty’s season and the fact that Cash wasn’t even called out for a foul is awful.
The hope is that Doherty’s rehab is going well and he’ll be ready to start next season, but this one hurts.