Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank says Mohammed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur are set for spells on the sidelines.
Kudus, 25, sustained a leg injury during the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on January 4. Frank said the attacking midfielder is not expected to return until the March international break, which starts in the week commencing March 23.
Bentancur, 28, was substituted towards the latter stages of the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday, while fellow midfielder Lucas Bergvall had also been withdrawn earlier in the second half.
“Lucas is being assessed today,” Frank said at his press conference on Thursday ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa. “We’ll know more later today with him.
“Same with Rodri (Bentancur). Rodri is a hamstring injury, looks like a bigger one, unfortunately. We don’t know the timeframe, that we also will know later.
“Kudus is, unfortunately, a bigger one to the quad. So that’s one where we expect him back after the March international break.”
The Danish coach also provided an update on attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski. The Sweden international is yet to feature this season after undergoing knee surgery in May 2025.
Frank had said in September that the 25-year-old had a “good chance” of returning from his injury before the end of 2025.
On Thursday, he said: “The latest on Dejan Kulusevski is that we know it’s a complicated injury. If there’s one person that can accelerate that, it’s Dejan. He’s a top pro. Got a top mentality.
“The most important thing is to remove the pain in the knee. He got an injection to help that 10 days ago. We’ll know in three to four weeks if it’s settled, and when it’s settled, hopefully, he’ll be on the grass. And from there, we’ll see what’s happening.”
Frank added Cristian Romero would not be fined by the club after he appeared to criticise the club’s hierarchy, accusing “other people” at the club of not speaking out during their poor run of form and telling a “few lies” when things were going better on the pitch.
“He’s our captain, he’s not been fined,” Frank said.
“I think there’s a lot of ways to deal with different situations. Chosen to have a good conversation with him, understand where he stands. Had that internally, and that’s everything I have to say.”
Kudus, who joined Spurs from West Ham United last summer in a deal worth around £55million ($74.7m), has scored three goals and provided six assists in 26 games for his new side this campaign.
Bentancur has been a consistent presence in Spurs’ midfield this term. He has made 28 appearances and appeared in all but one of the north London side’s Premier League games. Bergvall, 19, has made 24 appearances in all competitions for Spurs. A concussion sustained against Chelsea on November 1 ruled the Sweden international out of two games, while a groin injury ruled him out of the New Year’s Day goalless stalemate at the G-Tech Community Stadium against Brentford.
Spurs are 14th in the Premier League with just two wins in their last 12 league games.
After the Bournemouth defeat, defenders Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro were seen in an apparent discussion with members of the travelling Spurs support at the Vitality Stadium.
“I said last night, I think our away fans were very good throughout the game, they were backing us, singing, supporting, exactly as they should do, and we hope they would do,” Frank added. “Everyone will be happy when we win more games. It’s as simple as that.”
Reinforcements needed for Frank and Spurs
Analysis from Tottenham correspondent Elias Burke
This is terrible news for Frank, who is now without a natural right winger in the first-team squad. Frank experimented with natural striker Randal Kolo Muani on the right wing for the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Sunday, and started Lucas Bergvall there in the Bournemouth defeat. Bergvall impressed in a more narrow role, essentially lining up as a right-sided central midfielder with the ball, but an injury, which appeared to be to his thigh, may keep him on the sidelines for the weekend’s game against Villa at a minimum.
In September, Frank said there was a “good chance” Kulusevski would return before the end of 2025, so news that there has been further complications in his rehabilitation from a knee injury sustained in May is a blow. There is an urgent need for the club to explore right-wing options in the transfer window, with Frank asserting that the recruitment team, headed by co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, is working “very very hard” to add to Frank’s squad.
And with a “bigger” injury to Bentancur’s hamstring, they may need to recruit in midfield, too. Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals tomorrow, representing Mali and Senegal respectively. Sarr was a shining light in the opening games of the season, and Frank is doubtless desperate to have the 23-year-old back as a midfield option. Still, owing to the long-term struggles in building possession through midfield, many believe strengthening Frank’s midfield options is a priority, even before Bentancur’s injury.