Solanke, Kolo Muani & Takai: Latest Spurs injury news and expected return dates
The latest Tottenham Hotspur injury news and return dates - with updates on Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani and more.
Thomas Frank’s positive start to life as Tottenham Hotspur manager continued with a 2-1 win over Leeds United this weekend – but so did his bad luck with injuries, with Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani among the players still unavailable through injuries which have persisted for rather longer than expected.
Neither of the strikers was fit to play at Elland Road and Solanke, who had been thought to be close to a return, now seems set for a much lengthier lay-off than anticipated – and the pair are among seven Spurs players who may be unavailable when the team returns to action after the October international break.
We’ve got the latest updates on all of Spurs’ stricken players below, along with their expected return dates when available.
Will Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani be back after the international break?
Solanke (ankle) and summer signing Kolo Muani (dead leg) have been pencilled in as being close to making their comebacks for much of the past fortnight but both were absent again when Spurs travelled up to Elland Road – and Solanke, at least, is now likely to be out for longer than many had hoped.
With his ankle injury proving persistent, the England international underwent minor surgery to correct the issue last week and could face more time on the sidelines as a result. Frank has told the media that “we will have more news about [the] timeframe after the international break” but it is extremely unlikely that he is ready to face Aston Villa on 19 October.
Kolo Muani is more likely to be involved. While his recovery from a dead leg has taken longer than expected, he was back in team training ahead of the Leeds match and should be ready to play after next weekend. Kolo Muani wasn’t called up to the France squad, offering him extra time to get back to full fitness.
Kota Takai and five others out or doubts for Spurs
Another summer signing who has been rather less involved than Frank will have hoped this season is centre-back Kota Takai, who picked up a plantar fascia injury in pre-season and has been sidelined ever since.
The £5m Japanese defender has been back in training all week and Frank told the press that he is getting “better and better,” and there is a chance that he is a part of the matchday squad immediately after the international break.
There is also some chance that fellow defender Radu Dragusin makes his comeback from an ACL injury after the international break and the Romanian is also back in training, but he will not be rushed back and depending on his progress his return could be delayed by another couple of weeks.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma (knee) is likely to need a longer lay-off before he returns to action, although the club have been tight-lipped about the timeline. Dejan Kulusevslski and James Maddison (both ACL) are still out for the long term – Kulusevski won’t be back until late November at the earliest, while Maddison may yet miss the entire season.