France captain Hugo Lloris is ready to play for Tottenham against West Ham on Sunday, his coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed today.
Lloris led his country in Tuesday's friendly against England at Wembley, which came four days after terrorist attacks on Paris killed 129 people. Lloris were also involved in France's friendly against Germany on the night of the attacks, which included the detonation of three suicide bombs outside the Stade de France, where the game was taking place.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has said he needs to speak to his French players to ensure they are ready to play for their club this weekend. Laurent Koscielny appeared particularly affected at Wembley, with Wenger admitting the defender was "not himself" against England.
Despite the events of the last fortnight, however, Pochettino is confident Lloris is in the right frame of mind to return to Premier League action.
“He wants to play – to pay tribute and show respect,” said Pochettino. “He is very sad but he is strong enough and I think he is ready to play on Sunday.
“It has been a very tough period for him. As captain of France, it is a big responsibility, but he has a great mind. He is an unbelievable person and character.
“I want to send my condolences to the people of Paris. They have been a very sad few days. The French players, the Belgian players, the English players – we all share the same pain for all that happened. All individuals are different.
“We spoke about it a lot. It is impossible to stay away from it but the players are in good condition. The best way to pay tribute to the families and people in Paris is to do our job, which is to play, and I think the players are in good condition.
“England played France on Tuesday and we need to look forward and be strong. It is impossible to forget but we need to be strong to play and pay tribute to families. This is the way we need to take.”
