With the Premier League now calming down a bit after a hectic festive period, Tottenham Hotspur are now set to switch their attention to the FA Cup.
Ange Postecoglou will be eager to push on from here on in just like the way his side started the campaign, and as we enter a period where the Lilywhites get the likes of James Maddison and Son Heung-min back, things are looking up.
Football FanCast keeps you updated with all the latest Spurs news on the injury front ahead of their clash with Brentford.
Latest Spurs injury news
Postecoglou gave his most recent squad update on Tuesday afternoon, with a number of players still unavailable for the Australian to choose. However, the long list of absentees has been offset somewhat by the arrivals of Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner in defence and attack respectively.
Clear from the outset were the absences of those on international duty, with Mali’s Yves Bissouma and Senegal’s Pape Matar Sarr both at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Son Heung-min is aiming for Asian Cup glory with South Korea. Both tournaments are advancing, however, Sarr will return to the fold soon enough with Senegal now out of AFCON.
Back home, the injury list is improving, but there are still a number of names out.
Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have both returned to Postecoglou’s squad with the former starting against Manchester City and the latter coming on as a late substitute. Ben Davies also returned to the matchday squad, but he did not come off the bench.
Unfortunately, similar cannot be said for the likes of Manor Solomon, Alejo Veliz, Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso, who need more time to recover.
Spurs: latest injuries
Player Name
Injury/Suspension
Date injured/suspended
Expected return date
Giovani Lo Celso
Muscle injury
6th January
Unknown
Alejo Veliz
Knee
1st January
March
Ryan Sessegnon
Thigh
December
February
Manor Solomon
Knee
4th October
February
Giovani Lo Celso – muscle injury
Giovani Lo Celso has been out with an unspecified problem that may take a number of weeks to resolve. In his most recent press conference, Postecoglou confirmed the Argentine would not be back in his thinking for the game against Brentford.
Alejo Veliz – knee
Argentinian youngster Alejo Veliz picked up a knee injury in Spurs‘ recent win over Bournemouth in the Premier League. Unfortunately, although the 20-year-old has avoided the need for surgery, he is expected to miss a couple of months while he recovers, with Postecoglou confirming as such to reporters ahead of their cup tie with Burnley earlier this month.
In the Australian’s latest meeting with the media, he stated the young forward would still be out for the game against the Bees on Wednesday.
Manor Solomon – knee
Tottenham Hotspur provided an update on Manor Solomon’s injury in October, which read: „It was announced on Thursday (5 October) that our number 27 had suffered a meniscus injury to his right knee in training this week. The forward underwent surgery the same day and has now started his rehabilitation as he looks to get back to full fitness.“
It’s important to note that it’s not the same knee Solomon injured with Fulham last season.
And there has now been a concerning update to emerge from Hotspur Way ahead of the game against Brentford with Postecoglou revealing a new setback sustained by the Israeli:
„Manor’s had a couple of setbacks. He had another one this week so we’re just getting him assessed again.“
Ryan Sessegnon – thigh
Ryan Sessegnon’s injury troubles continue as he’s currently recovering from a thigh injury which came about last month.
However, there is some positive news, as Ange Postecoglou delivered an update prior to the City cup clash, stating that Ryan Sessegnon should be back involved next week.
Latest Spurs suspension news
The Lilywhites have no suspensions heading into their next game, though the likes of Son, Bissouma and Sarr remain away representing their countries in the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup.
But there is some positive news coming out of AFCON for Spurs with Senegal being eliminated from the competition on Monday night after penalty shootout defeat. Sarr was able to convert his penalty, but he is now set to return to Tottenham in the coming days and should be available for selection on the weekend.
„The latest I heard is he should be back tomorrow at some stage. Disappointed for him and Senegal. From our side he’s a key member of the squad, we’ll have him back and he should be available for Saturday,“ Postecoglou said on Tuesday.
Bissouma’s potential return to north London could be decided on Wednesday when Mali face Burkina Faso.
As far as the Premier League is concerned, players who pick up five yellow cards in the last 19 games of the season must serve a one-game ban, while those who pick up ten yellows across the first 32 games receive a two-match suspension.
Emerson Royal, Giovani Lo Celso, Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur have been booked in the last two matches, while Destiny Udogie and Bissouma are the only players over a total of five bookings, with seven each so far. Incidentally, both players have already served suspensions for picking up two bookings in a match.
A suspension for collecting too many yellow cards can only be served in the Premier League – not cup competitions.
