Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank says forward Mohammed Kudus is “touch and go” to feature against Manchester United on Saturday.
Kudus has been a regular for Tottenham this season after joining from West Ham United in a summer deal worth around £55million ($74.7m), recording a goal and five assists in 15 appearances.
However, the 25-year-old missed the 4-0 Champions League win over Copenhagen on Tuesday after sustaining a knock.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Frank said a decision on Kudus’ availability for the lunchtime kick-off in north London was still pending.
“The ones that have been out for a small spell, Cuti (Cristian Romero) and Destiny (Udogie), responded well, so fit and available,” he said. “Kudus is touch and go for tomorrow, we’ll see.”
Brennan Johnson started on the right flank in Kudus’ absence on Tuesday and is likely to retain his position if the Ghana international is not fit to start.
Frank also said that the club are aiming for striker Dominic Solanke to return after the November international break.
Solanke has only made three appearances this season, all off the bench, and has only played 59 minutes in total while dealing with an ankle injury. The issue caused him to miss all of Spurs’ preseason and he was forced to undergo minor ankle surgery on October 1.
“I think the international break will be the big decider, because we have two weeks there, to push with the next steps,” said Frank.
“It was clear that he was not ready before the international break, it’s more that we look after the international break, that’s what we’re aiming for.
“I think you always want to get it right, I think it’s important to get it right so he’s out there, can help the team, and we need him back.”
Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison all remain sidelined with long-term injuries, while Yves Bissouma and summer signing Kota Takai are also yet to appear this season. Lucas Bergvall will miss tomorrow’s game with a concussion sustained in the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea.
Spurs are sixth in the Premier League on 17 points after 10 games, eight points behind leaders Arsenal.