"My plan was to have him in my squad" - Antonio Conte confirms Tottenham star will leave at the end of the season

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has confirmed that Lucas Moura will leave the club at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The Brazilian winger has suffered major injury issues this season and has made just 11 appearances across competitions. Moreover, with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison's presence, Moura has shifted further down the pecking order.

Hence, Tottenham have now decided against activating the one-year extension clause in Moura's contract, which is set to expire this summer. Speaking about this in a pre-match press conference, manager Antonio Conte stated (via football.london):

"You know this is a decision of the club and for sure this season is a difficult season for Lucas but at the same time for us. Honestly, in my mind when we planned the season Lucas was an important player for us."

He added:

"But if you see from he start of the season until now Lucas played maybe one game, also with pain in the Champions League against Marseille and also not the whole game with us."

Conte explained how Tottenham have suffered this season due to injuries to Moura, Richarlison, and Kulusevski and said:

"First of all I think the damage is for me and the team. A player like Lucas is a good player. Also last season he helped us reach the Champions League. In my mind, my plan was to have him in my squad but we didn’t have possibility to use him because of the injuries."

He added:

"It was really difficult this season especially because it happened twice that Kulusevski and Richarlison were both injured. To face this wasn’t easy. Then if you ask about the decision of the club, I respect the decision of the club."

🗣️ “The damage is for me and the team. This is the decision of the club. A player like Lucas is a good player.”

Antonio Conte says it was the clubs decision to not renew Lucas Moura’s contract at Tottenham. https://t.co/x0GS5dJaNW

Lucas Moura's career at Tottenham

The Brazilian winger joined the north London side from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2018.

He has scored 38 goals and provided 27 assists in 213 games for the club. This includes his iconic hat trick in the second leg of the 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Ajax to take Tottenham to the final, where they lost to Liverpool.

A player synonymous with late drama in the #UCL

🇧🇷 Happy Birthday, @LucasMoura7 - 28 today! 🎂 https://t.co/3CV6pIElDX

While Moura has had some excellent moments with Spurs, the pacy winger arguably failed to be as prolific as the club expected of him.

Reports suggest that he is now looking to return to club football in Brazil.