Thomas Frank faces a major Tottenham Hotspur selection headache ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League opener against Villarreal, while one top first-team star will definitely be sidelined for that match.
Spurs warmed up for their return to European football’s elite knockout competition with an impressive 3-0 win at London rivals West Ham on Saturday, a game in which big-money summer signing Xavi Simons made his debut for the club.
However, the Netherlands international was outshone by another Tottenham attacking star as Lucas Bergvall took centre stage at the London Stadium.
The Swede scored his first Premier League goal with a fine header and also assisted the third for Micky van de Ven as he excelled in a central attacking midfield role.
Simons started the match on the left wing, a position Spurs failed to strengthen over the summer after Son Heung-min’s exit, despite being signed as a replacement for the injured James Maddison in the No.10 role.
Frank now has a big decision to make over whether one game is enough for Simons on the left to move him inside or keep things as they were at West Ham.
It’s fair to say that Bergvall has made a big impression n his boss though, with Frank admitting after the Hammers win: “I really like his energy, his enthusiasm.
“He’s part of driving the team. There’s so much more to come from him because he also sometimes needs to… he’s young, so, okay, when do I play a little bit slower? When do I play a little bit quicker? When do I get to these positions?
“But now with the energy, the pressing and running in behind, a fantastic goal, very impressed with him.”
Whether or not Frank is impressed enough to stick Simons out of the left again remains to be seen, especially when the former RB Leipzig man is much more experienced at Champions League level.
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Solanke fails to recover for Villarreal clash
Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke has lost his race to be fit for the clash against the LaLiga side and faces a further wait for a return to action.
The England frontman took no part in training on Monday as he still recovers from an ankle problem he suffered against Manchester City.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the game, Frank said: “Dom is taking steps in the right direction.
“So that is positive. As you saw out there, he is not ready to be involved tomorrow.”
There had been hopes that Solanke would be fit for the start of the club’s return to Champions League action after Frank confirmed that the striker should avoid surgery on the problem.
In Solanke’s absence, Richarlison is likely to get the nod at No.9, with Randal Kolo Munai poised to make his debut off the bench after failing to feature at West Ham.
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