Tottenham losing Hugo Lloris for the north London derby would be a major blow to Antonio Conte's plans, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The £100,000 per-week star has played every minute in all competitions this season but has emerged as an early doubt for Spurs' trip to Arsenal on Saturday week.

What happened to Lloris?

Lloris played 90 minutes in Spurs' 6-2 victory over Leicester on Sunday and produced a fine display, notably making crucial saves from James Maddison and Patson Daka.

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The experienced goalkeeper then headed off for international duty, hoping to add to his 139 caps in the Nations League games against Austria and Denmark.

But The Athletic reported less than 48 hours after the Leicester victory that Lloris had withdrawn from the France squad having sustained a thigh injury.

It remains unclear whether the 35-year-old suffered the injury last weekend or once he linked up with the rest of his teammates.

Regardless, Lloris now appears to be in a race against time to prove his fitness for the clash at the Emirates.

What did O'Rourke say about Lloris?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "In these big games you want all of your top players fit and ready to go.

"Lloris is the captain of Tottenham, he is the number one goalkeeper, so if they lost him for such a key match, it would be a blow to Antonio Conte who would have to turn to Fraser Forster who hasn't played for Tottenham yet since his arrival."

Who could replace Lloris?

Lloris has played every minute of the last 93 Premier League games, dating back to March 2020, so this isn't a situation Tottenham have had to worry about for some time.

But his setback earlier means that Conte will be waiting anxiously to discover the extent of the Frenchman's muscle problem.

If the Italian doesn't get good news, it means that Forster will be in line to make his Spurs debut, having been an unused substitute in all nine games following his arrival from Southampton.

Forster has good memories against Arsenal, notably turning in a man of the match display in Saints' 1-0 win over the Gunners back in April, which ultimately proved crucial to helping his current club finish in the top four.

But facing Arsenal for Tottenham represents a completely different challenge and it's a scenario that could soon become a reality if Lloris isn't passed fit.