Tottenham: £100k-a-week star suffers 'fairly extensive injury' at Hotspur Way | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur star Hugo Lloris will not undergo surgery despite being forced onto the Hotspur Way treatment table with a 'fairly extensive' problem, injury expert Ben Dinnery has told GiveMeSport.

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte will be unable to call upon his first-choice goalkeeper, who has been at the club since completing a £12million switch from Lyon more than a decade ago, for a number of key fixtures.

Tottenham injury news - Hugo Lloris

According to Sky Sports, Lloris is set to be on the sidelines for up to eight weeks after sustaining a knee injury during Tottenham's 1-0 win over Manchester City last weekend.

The report suggests scans showed the shot-stopper sustained ligament damage following a challenge late in the Premier League encounter.

Spurs will now be without Lloris, who has only missed 90 minutes of the top flight campaign so far, for a host of crucial fixtures as they look to break into the Champions League qualification places.

The Frenchman's setback comes amid uncertainty over his long-term future after entering the final 18 months of his £100,000-per-week contract in north London.

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge recently told GiveMeSport that Conte is facing a 'monumentally big decision' over whether to hand Lloris fresh terms.

What has Ben Dinnery said about Lloris?

Dinnery understands that Lloris will not be forced to go under the knife after suffering knee ligament damage.

The injury news journalist feels the 36-year-old Tottenham captain could return to contention during the early stages of April.

Dinnery told GiveMeSport: "There's no surgery required. These ligaments have a really good, strong blood supply.

"He'll have excellent results and return to play from conservative treatment, so we're probably looking at a fairly extensive injury which is around about that high-end grade two, keeping him out for six to eight weeks.

"I think initial fears were that his season could be over but, looking at the fixtures, in and around the beginning of April is realistic for the Frenchman."

Who will replace Lloris in Spurs' starting line-up?

Fraser Forster may have only been handed 360 minutes of action this season, according to Transfermarkt, but he is in line to deputise for Lloris.

The former Southampton goalkeeper, who joined Tottenham as a free agent last summer, has been limited to just one Premier League outing thanks to being unable to dislodge the France international from the forefront of Conte's plans.

Forster was handed a 6.6 match rating by Sofascore when he made three saves during the 2-2 draw with Brentford on Boxing Day.

There is no doubt that the 34-year-old is a more than capable understudy to Lloris as he has made 135 Premier League appearances over the course of his career.

Forster has also kept 201 clean sheets