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Matt Doherty relishing Spurs 'tortured' pre-season demands

Matt Doherty and his Spurs team-mates are being put through their paces in South Korea
Matt Doherty and his Spurs team-mates are being put through their paces in South Korea

Republic of Ireland defender Matt Doherty has described Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte's training sessions as mental "torture" and said the ongoing pre-season was the toughest one of his career.

Videos on social media showed Son Heung-min and Harry Kane falling to the ground after training drills at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Monday, before Spurs' 6-3 friendly win over K League XI during their pre-season tour of South Korea.

"It's not like anything I've done before. This is hard, it's the hardest pre-season I've had," said the right wing-back, who missed the latter end of the Premier League season and Ireland's June fixtures due to a knee injury.

Ireland striker Troy Parrott, who has been linked with moves back on loan, has also been part of Spurs' pre-season preparations

"I don't know if there will be any teams fitter than us. You get great satisfaction once the session is over. Your mind has been tortured in the middle of it but when it's done you feel proud.

"You're just thinking, 'don't quit', even if you crawl over the line or have to jog or walk towards the end. It's that determination the manager has instilled in us to keep going and never quit."

Spurs will face Sevilla in a friendly at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on Saturday.

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