Hugo Lloris returned to match action in Ipswich friendly

Hey, some good news! Tottenham Hotspur club captain and starting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was back in action, at least for a while, earlier this week for the first time since injuring his knee in Spurs’ win over Manchester City in February.

Tottenham played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Ipswich on Thursday at Hotspur Way, featuring players that did not report for international duty along with players from the U21 and U18 sides. Lloris reportedly played 45 minutes in that friendly, his first game action since the injury.

In quotes published in Football.London, Hugo talked about injury and the status of his recovery.

“It was good to be back on the pitch, to have that reference. Obviously, it’s been a long journey, but step by step I’m closer to a return. I’ll keep working and I’d like to thank all the staff for their help.

“It was a collision with Rodri and when he hit my right leg, I felt a movement. My knee didn’t respond. I was ready for the last kick of the game, and I kicked a strange ball! At that moment, I realised something was missing. The knee was swollen the next day. Everything feels okay now. I’ll continue to go step by step.”

Hugo’s injury was expected to take 4-6 weeks to recover from, so his recovery seems to be on track. He’s had a bit of an off season this year and there’s every possibility that he could depart the club this summer; his current contract extends to the end of the 2023-24 season and I would not expect Spurs to offer him an extension. Tottenham, whoever is in charge, is likely going to make a long-term replacement for Hugo, who has been at the club a decade, one of its top priorities in the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, backup Fraser Forster has been a steady enough pair of hands between the sticks for Spurs in Hugo’s absence.