Conte nominated for manager of the month despite overseeing only one game

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for February despite overseeing only one game, a 4-1 defeat by Leicester City.

The Italian has been recovering from gallbladder surgery, making a quick return for the Leicester game in mid-February before being told to rest and recover again.

Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini took temporary charge of the team and they flourished under his compatriot as Spurs beat Manchester city, West Ham United and Chelsea to move up to fourth in the standings.

“Despite only being able to attend one Tottenham Hotspur match in February while recovering from gallbladder surgery, Conte was heavily involved from afar, helping make decisions and planning training sessions led by assistant coach Cristian Stellini,” the league said.

Conte has been nominated alongside Fulham boss Marco Silva and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Stellini said before Wednesday’s fifth-round FA Cup defeat at Sheffield United that Conte should return this week. Spurs travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.