Hugo: “You suffer, but from the outside”

No wonder he called it a ‘strange situation’.

After establishing himself as our number one in November, 2012, Hugo Lloris played 245 of a possible 263 matches for us in the Premier League alone, becoming the 43rd player in the Club’s history to play over 300 games for us in all competitions. Add six full seasons at Nice and Lyon and a record 114 caps for France, and Hugo has racked up over 700 senior appearances in his career going back to 2006.

The routine of playing matches was all consuming for the best part of 15 years, but that all changed on 5 October, when he tumbled backwards over his line at Brighton, fell awkwardly and dislocated his left elbow. The injury required surgery and sidelined him for over three months, during which time he had to sit out 23 matches in all competitions.

Hugo, 33, returned for our 2-1 win against Norwich City in the Premier League on Wednesday night, his 308th appearance in our colours.

Hugo was in reflective mood back at Hotspur Way on Thursday. “As soon as I got injured, as soon as I knew the time I was going to be off, I just accepted the situation and used the time in the best way, with my family, with my little boy who was born in September and then the only thing that is a little strange and frustrating is that you can’t help the team.

“You suffer, but you suffer from the outside, not on the pitch, so it’s even worse. That’s the only thing I missed, sharing good and bad moments with the team, wins and defeats, emotions that I used to feel for the last 15 years, maybe more.”

A scar on his left arm is a reminder of that miserable afternoon at the Amex. There were only three minutes on the clock when Pascal Gross’ cross from the left had Hugo backtracking towards his goal...

“I’m quite open about the incident,” he said. “I didn’t want to go inside the goal with the ball so when I realised I was going into the goal, I dropped the ball in front of me but then I slipped and went backwards... I don’t think those type of things happen for no reason, there is always something behind it.

“I’ve been quite lucky to not be injured that many times over the repetition of seasons, of games, of competition with the club, with the national team. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the job, something you have to accept. The only thing is that you feel a little useless. You have to accept that at that moment, you are out of the squad and you give support to your team-mates, but you can’t help.

"I want to thank everyone who helped me to get back, too many to mention everyone, but from day one I received a lot of support inside the Club, outside the Club and that helped me to come back. It’s part of the togetherness in football.

“It was a strange situation for me. I haven’t been injured for so long in my career, but there are always positives even in situations like that. I tried to get the benefit of this period, I tried to refresh a little my mind and it’s always good to question yourself because I’m the type of person who will always look forward and for me, there are always ways to improve.”

It’s safe to say Hugo is now looking forward to the rest of the season. We sit in sixth in the Premier League, level on points with United (fifth) and Wolves (seventh) with 14 matches remaining. We travel to Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and the Champions League returns next month with our Round of 16 clash against RB Leipzig.

“The second half of the season will be decisive,” added Hugo. “It’s important to build a strong confidence. In football, the process to get fully confident is very long but to lose it is so easy. At the moment we have to deal with these feelings. After three months I’m back in the changing room and it’s positive. It’s not easy but as I always used to repeat, the players are the main actors and it’s up to us to change the dynamic and try to get a few wins in a row."