Tottenham welcomed back a whole host of names during their 4-1 defeat against Arsenal in the north London derby, but they still hace a number of key players sidelined.
Thomas Frank’s side were thrashed at the Emirates Stadium, despite the return of the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr, and Randal Kolo Muani to the matchday squad after their respective injuries.
However, holes were still found in Spurs’ rigid 5-4-1 system, and even more so in their squad depth, with several first-choice figures missing out in the capital.
He made a brief cameo in the early exchanges of the campaign before suffering a major setback.
Frank had said before the recent international break that he did not know whether the centre-forward would be able to play before the year was out.
Solanke himself said that he would not put a timeframe on his return to action.
“It’s been very difficult,” Solanke told The Athletic. “At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery.”
The Romanian stepped up his recovery during the international window, and played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Leyton Orient in his first action since January.
Speaking after the Orient game, Dragusin said: "It felt good, first minutes in 10 months out, finally minutes in the legs and I just have to build on this."
He did not make the matchday squad against Arsenal, but could feature against Fulham after captain Cristian Romero picked up a one-match suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards.
Kulusevski is also closing in on a return, having spent months on the sidelines with a patella injury, for which he underwent surgery after the Europa League final.
Destiny Udogie shared a video of the Swede training on grass during the international break, which could spell a comeback very soon,
Frank has said that there is a “good chance” that the winger could play before the turn of the year.
He has not played at all for his new club since his arrival from Kawasaki Frontale, but Frank said before Spurs’ defeat by Chelsea that the Japanese would “be training soon”.
The Welshman looks like he is treading the comeback trail too, despite having to withdraw from the recent Wales camp due to a hamstring problem.
The defender suffered a setback on the injury that has kept him out since last month.
Frank said that Davies would be out for “four or five weeks” when he was ruled out, but the latest scare could push his return back a tad.
He then picked up another issue that forced him to be stretched off just minutes after his return.