Matt Doherty urges Tottenham to ‘stand by’ Antonio Conte as he launches fierce defense of Spurs boss

Conte is believed to have taken charge of his final game as Spurs boss, with the Italian set to lose his job during the international break before Tottenham return to action with a trip to face Everton on 3 april.

Ryan Mason is the main candidate to be placed in charge of the club on an interim basis until the end of the season, before a permanent appointment is made this summer.

The Spurs squad believe Conte will be sacked, and that relationship is increasingly strained after his incredibly strong criticism following the draw with Southampton last time out further clouded the mood at the club.

However, Doherty came to the defense of his former manager. The defender left Spurs on deadline day in January and joined Atletico Madrid on a free transfer, after his contract was mutually terminated with Tottenham no longer able to loan out more players.

“I hope he stays at Tottenham for a long time,” Doherty told a press conference while on international duty with Ireland.

“He’s an incredible coach, an incredible manager. He won’t say anything in the press that he won’t tell his players, he’s completely honest with his players, he has the passion of the whole club.

“I hope Tottenham will stick with him and keep him for as long as possible, he’s one of the best managers of all time.”