Tottenham manager Antonio Conte remains absent from the club.

The London Evening Standard says Conte was again absent from Tottenham training on Friday and it remains unclear if or when he will return to the club following his explosive rant in the aftermath of last weekend's draw against Southampton.

Conte flew back to his native Italy the day after watching his side surrender a two-goal lead in the final quarter-of-an-hour at St. Mary's, having afterwards labelled his players “selfish" and aimed veiled criticism at both the culture and ownership of the club.

Spurs insist it is not unusual for Conte to take an extended break in his homeland during the international break. The 53-year-old's wife and daughter still live in Italy, where the manager also spent time recently to recover from gallbladder surgery.

However, no date has been set for his return to Hotspur Way and assistants Ryan Mason and Cristian Stellini are continuing to take training with a skeleton squad of players not involved with their national sides.