Drink-driving incident contributed to Hugo Lloris injury, says Mauricio Pochettino

Tottenham have lost two Premier League matches and were beaten late against Inter Milan in their captain's absence

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Hugo Lloris’ highly-publicised drink-driving incident contributed to the thigh injury that is still keeping out of the team.

Lloris has not played since sustaining the injury during Spurs’ 3-0 win at Old Trafford last month. More than three weeks on, Pochettino still does not know when his captain will play again, although he hopes Lloris will return to training next week. Tottenham have struggled in his absence, losing three consecutive games 2-1 with stand-in goalkeeper Michel Vorm playing instead.

The injury happened on Monday 27 August, just three days after Lloris had been stopped by police at 2.20am, driving erratically, at 15mph in a 30mph zone, and jumping a red light in central London. Lloris had to be helped from his car and was found to be more than double the legal limit for driving. He admitted guilt and on 12 September he was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £50,000.

Hugo Lloris arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court (Getty Images)

Pochettino has spoken before about how “conscientious” Lloris is, and how he has taken this offence to heart. At his press conference on Thursday afternoon, he admitted that the famously intelligent, thoughtful Lloris was “beating himself up” about the crime.

But Pochettino also revealed he believes that the thigh strain he sustained at Old Trafford was partly down to the “massive stress” brought on by his drink-driving charge. “I think he was under stress during the game against Manchester United,” Pochettino explained. “I think the injury, and with the added stress, maybe created that injury.”

However Pochettino hopes that the thigh strain, and Lloris’ few weeks out of the limelight, will help him to get over the humiliation and the distraction of the crime. Lloris also missed the September internationals for France, which would have been another high-profile exposure soon after the incident. But this month has given him the opportunity to re-focus away from public attention. “The injury now is helping him to take time and think and be a little bit more relaxed,” he said. “To compete after what happened was a massive stress for him.”

Lloris is still doing rehabilitation for his thigh injury and Pochettino hopes he will be fit to train again next week. “[His return] is a point that we still do not know,” Pochettino said. “We hope as soon as possible, but we think the plan is still next week if everything goes to plan in training.”

Pochettino, who denied that Lloris has a drink problem, again refused to confirm that the club fined Lloris two weeks’ wages. “That is private,” he said. “I think the punishment came from the court and public judgement is massive punishment. All that happened inside, I think we want to keep it inside, that’s much better.”