Tottenham: £65k-a-week star has 'slipped back' under Conte at Hotspur Way

Tottenham star Matt Doherty must impress Antonio Conte on the training pitch to improve his chances of starting, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The £65,000 per-week star has made just one appearance this season having fallen behind Emerson Royal in the right wing-back pecking order, but Brown reckons all is not lost for the 30-year-old.

Following a difficult 18 months since his arrival from Wolves, Doherty finally found his feet midway through last season.

He would make seven consecutive starts, registering two goals and three assists to help Spurs move into contention for a top four place.

But disaster struck for Doherty when he got injured against Aston Villa in April, which would cut his season short.

His absence allowed Royal to establish himself as number one on the right, with the Brazil international going on to start the next 13 Premier League games on the bounce, before he was eventually dropped against Leicester on Saturday.

Regardless, Doherty was still an unused substitute, with Antonio Conte opting to start Ivan Perisic on the right ahead of the ex-Wolves man.

Brown has called on Doherty to make a case for a starting place by catching Conte’s eye at Hotspur Way, with Royal clearly above him in the pecking order.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “There was a spell last season when he couldn’t get in the team at all and then when he was back in and playing well, Conte praised him publicly for making that turnaround, but he’s since slipped back a bit.

“So, it will all depend on how he performs in training over the next few weeks whether he can get back to that, but he’s certainly been an inconsistent performer for Spurs.”

Despite returning in pre-season, Doherty’s only game-time this term came against Southampton on