Antonio Conte ‘can’t wait to get back on field’ after surgery, gives thanks for ‘lovely messages’

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has said that he “can’t wait to get back on the field” after confirming that his surgery to remove his gallbladder was successful.

Conte was diagnosed with cholecystitis – inflammation in the gallbladder – and looks likely to miss Spurs’ home clash with Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Italian took to social media late on Wednesday to thank fans for their “lovely messages”, adding that he was looking forward to returning to the field of play with the team.

“Thank you for your lovely messages, my surgery has gone well and I’m already feeling better,” he wrote.

“Now’s time to recover, I can’t wait to get back on the field with the team.”

Spurs’ match with City is the first of five games this month. They also face Leicester City (Feb 11), West Ham (Feb 19) and Chelsea (Feb 26) in the league, while they take on AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie (Feb 14).