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Dominic Solanke has been out of action for Tottenham Hotspur since August due to an ankle injury and the striker has been providing updates on his recovery on social media

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke has shared a fresh update as he works his way back from injury. The forward has featured in only three matches this season whilst attempting to manage the problem.

Solanke is aiming for a quick comeback, with manager Thomas Frank confirming in early October that he doesn't anticipate the former Bournemouth forward being sidelined for a lengthy spell.

The 28-year-old hasn't turned out for Spurs since August and has accumulated merely 49 minutes of action across fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Burnley. And the England international has been attempting to maintain a positive outlook, judging by his recent Instagram activity.

On Sunday, he wrote: "Little bit of life," accompanied by several photographs of himself.

Solanke's message comes after a similar post from four weeks earlier. "Positivity through the dark times," he wrote, sharing several more images of himself.

Solanke has recently suggested on social media that his return to action isn't far away.

"Hi everyone, quick update about my current situation," he shared. "The last few months have been very frustrating as I've tried everything possible to try and push through my ankle issue before taking the option of surgery.

"None of this managed to solve the problem, so we had to go ahead with minor surgery which I underwent this morning. It was all successful so hopefully I'll be back on the pitch in the very near future!

"Thank you for all your love and messages."

Before Spurs' Champions League match against Bodo/Glimt in September, Frank disclosed that Solanke's absence from the trip was due to surgery. "Dom, you know, got that ankle issue that's been bothering him for a little while," he revealed.

"So now we decided to make a minor surgery. It's a small procedure. So that will mean he's not ready for today, of course.

"And of course, Leeds he's out as well. We will have more news about time frame after the international break. But I don't expect it to be long."

Troy Parrott was the Republic of Ireland's hat-trick hero as they dramatically reached the World Cup play-offs, rubber-stamping the his rise after leaving Tottenham in 2024

Troy Parrott wrote his name in Irish football folklore on Sunday to keep the Republic of Ireland's hopes of playing at the 2026 World Cup alive. His sensational hat-trick in their final group game away to Hungary, capped by a dramatic 96th-minute winner, booked Ireland a place in March's play-offs.

Parrott, 23, also scored both goals as the Boys in Green stunned Portugal 2-0 on Thursday in his hometown of Dublin. The striker plays his club football with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, having left Tottenham on a permanent basis last year for €8million (£6.7m).

After shining in a 2019 pre-season friendly against Juventus, Parrott drew comparisons to Robbie Keane among Spurs fans. But it never worked out in North London for the highly-rated youngster, with Jose Mourinho having some choice words for him in March 2020 when Parrott was Tottenham's only fit striker.

Mourinho told him to stop thinking that he was 'too good' to still be playing for their under-23s when he'd been training with the first-team all season. "I told him before the (youth team) game: 'Every time you play with the kids of your age, you have to show your colleagues why you are the privileged one' because it was something he was not doing," Mourinho told a press conference.

"Every time he was playing with the kids, he was playing with the mentality of, 'I shouldn't be here' or, 'I am too good to be here'. I had exactly the same words with Scott McTominay (at Manchester United).

"He was not loved in his age group because he was not there with the right frame of mind. The moment we started changing that lots of things started changing for him. Troy cannot go there [the under‑age teams] with discontent, contempt.

"It is a process. So everything goes very, very well. But this is a world where lots of people don't even know if Troy has long hair or short hair, or is blond or is dark.

"They don't even know that and they speak about Troy, Troy, Troy. There was a guy behind me on the bench the other day: 'Play Troy, play Troy'. I don't think he knows Troy."

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After joining Millwall on loan later that year, Parrott revealed that he didn't have any qualms with Mourinho, maturely taking his 'helpful advice' on board. "To be fair, he's such an experienced manager and he's done nearly everything in the game, so if he feels like that's right then there must be some truth in it and I had to take it on the chin," he explained.

"I was speaking to coaching staff and players finding out what I needed to do to be better. Because, obviously, Mourinho has worked with some of the best strikers there's ever been.

"To get advice off him was great. I knew what I needed to do. It was helpful advice."

Fast forward five years and Parrott is his new country's hero, scoring all five goals for Heimir Hallgrimsson's side this month and turning their qualifying campaign around. In a tearful post-match interview with RTE, the 23-year-old said: "This is why we love football because anything can happen.

"I just love where I'm from. My family are here. My mum is so proud of me. This is the first time I've cried in years. The boys are all crying over there.

"I don't think I'll have a better night in my life. It's a fairytale, you couldn't dream anything like that."

Two more wins will send Ireland to North America.

Thomas Frank met with Sir Jim Ratcliffe in his London garage last spring, before Manchester United cut ties with Erik ten Hag, as per reports. According to TV2, the Danish manager held talks with the Red Devils and Chelsea in May 2024, as both clubs tested the water with new head coaches.

In the morning, it is said that Frank met with Ineos chief Ratcliffe in a London garage, before holding talks with Chelsea in the lavish Mayfair Hotel overlooking Hyde Park. In the end, however, Frank opted to stay on with Brentford for another season, with United appointing Ruben Amorim in the wake of Ten Hag's dismissal in the November, while Chelsea opted to put their faith in Enzo Maresca.

However, Frank told the publication that he was left feeling in awe at the prospect of even speaking with two titans of world football. He explained: "I know I didn't get either job, but it was still huge.

"I remember walking through Battersea Park between the two interviews and thinking, 'Thomas Frank from f***ing Frederiksværk - am I really experiencing this?'"

After a humble playing career with Frederiksværk between 1995 and 2004, Frank transitioned into the world of football management in 2008, taking up tenure with his nation's U16 set-up. From there, he climbed through the ranks to Denmark U17 and U19, before parting ways with the international game to manage Brondby in 2013.

Frank lasted just three years with the club before he resigned after it came about that the club's chairman, Jan Bech Andersen, had been criticising him via an anonymous profile on a fan forum site. A two year break from football then ensued, before he landed a role with Brentford.

A Championship team at the time, Frank led the side to Premier League football in 2021 as a result of winning the play-off final with a convincing 2-0 triumph of Swansea City.

While many newly-promoted teams have faced relegation the year after achieving promotion as a result of struggling to adapt to top flight football, Frank managed to not only retain Brentford's place in the Premier League in the years that followed, but turned the team into genuine stalwarts - finishing 10th last term.

However, the 52-year-old's time at the Gtech Community Stadium drew to a close this summer. Frank found himself linked with taking up tenure with Tottenham soon after the departure of Ange Postecoglou, before he was finally unveiled as the club's new head coach on June 12.

Despite Spurs suffering a 17th-place finish in the Premier League last season under Postecoglou, it appears as though the club is now breathing a new lease of life under Frank's reign. As it stands, the Lilywhites currently sit fifth in the league table after 11 matches, with five wins, three draws and three losses to show for their efforts.

They are also unbeaten in Europe at present, with wins over Villarreal and Copenhagen, as well as draws with Bodo/Glimt to their name in the Champions League. Frank and his side will hope to pick up where they left off when Premier League action returns next weekend, although there may be a titan task awaiting them.

That's because Spurs next face Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on Sunday, November 23. The Gunners currently occupy first-place in the league standings, eight points clear of Tottenham and unbeaten in their last eight top flight outings.

Former England defender Ledley King worked under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham and shed some light on what the legendary manager is really like

Ledley King says that Jose Mourinho recruited him as a coach at Tottenham mid-haircut. The ex-England centre-back has opened up about the Portuguese icon's true character.

Spurs legend King was forced to retire early due to a persistent knee issue and hung up his boots in 2012. The 45-year-old remained in north London and in 2020 he received an unexpected offer from the incoming Mourinho.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss asked King if he would be a member of his coaching staff and the defender recalled the exact moment he found out over FaceTime, shedding light on Mourinho's true nature.

"I think I always admired Jose, do you know what I mean? I was always jealous of the England boys at Chelsea, that they had him as a manager," said King, speaking on In The Mixer brought to you by Sky Bet.

"I obviously played against his teams. But when he joined Tottenham, I bumped into him one day in the corridors and he said, 'I want you on the training pitch.'

"I said, 'Well, I'm not a coach.' He said, 'It doesn't matter. I want you on the training pitch.' So I started going in, watching a bit of training and eventually speaking to players, younger players.

You can listen to brand new episodes of In The Mixer on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

"The next thing I know I'm working with someone and we're clipping up videos, discussing things. This is for free! Then, this was Covid, the season stopped. So everyone went away. Then they came back and finished the season off.

"But I stayed away because it wasn't allowed. There was only the actual staff present. So in the summer, I got FaceTime, I'm getting a haircut with my last little bits of hair and it's Jose's FaceTime.

"So I jumped out of the chair, got somewhere quiet. He said, 'I want you on my staff next season, full-time.' Couldn't turn it down, could I?"

King went into detail about his time under Mourinho, letting slip what he's like behind the scenes and admitting that he once thought Spurs could be Premier League champions under the iconic head coach.

"I enjoyed it," King continued. "He's a great person, great laugh, very clever. I mean he's got stories for days, he enjoys telling them, not just to staff close to him.

"The first part of the season we were flying, we were doing well. We had no fans unfortunately, which was a shame. Someone like Jose needs fans, he needs that.

"I remember beating Arsenal at home, Man City at home. Beat Man United 6-1 at Old Trafford. Got to December and I'm thinking, we were top, and I think we're going to win the league. First season as a coach I thought, 'I'm going to win the league, because I've got Magic Man Jose with me.' Do you know what I mean?

"Then it kind of just dipped. But I loved my time with him, great guy. He's got so much passion for the game. People looking at him might think, 'Why don't you just retire and enjoy life?' He lives for it. He absolutely loves the game."

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Thierry Henry headed to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time on Saturday night and reminisced about his winning memories for Arsenal at White Hart Lane

Theirry Henry made his first visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Arsenal legend claimed "I used to come to the old one and win a lot" when quizzed on the state-of-the-art venue.

Tottenham's new stadium, which opened in 2019, is seen as a world leader across the football landscape. They demolished White Hart Lane and built their new venue which has attracted the NFL and some of the globe's biggest music artists.

Tottenham also boast a bigger stadium than north London rivals Arsenal with their capacity marginally ahead of the Emirates, which was built in 2006 and holds 60,704 fans. Henry though made his loyalties very clear when he rocked up to the stadium to watch Conor Benn defeat Chris Eubank Jnr.

He was asked by an interviewer what he thought about being in enemy territory and told DAZN: "Weird. I never came to the new stadium, I used to come to the old one and win a lot, but it's nice."

One of Henry's greatest achievements at White Hart Lane was in 2004 when Arsenal secured the title at the home of their rivals en route to an unbeaten season.

Whilst Arsenal were clear top dogs in north London during Henry's time at the club they would actually have to settle for a draw at White Hart Lane in four consecutive years, albeit they were far more dominant back at Highbury. Henry's one and only goal at White Hart Lane came in the 2004/05 season when Arsenal won a nine-goal thriller to beat Tottenham in an epic encounter.

Henry was part of the last Gunners side to rule England's top flight, that being back in 2004 when the Invincibles reigned supreme. Arsenal have not scaled such heights since but are currently sat top under Mikel Arteta.

Plenty have tipped them to finally end their wait following three second place finishes on the bounce. Some heavy summer investment has helped mark them out as favourites, albeit Manchester City recently closed the gap after they dropped points late in the day at Sunderland.

Henry though is confident they can get over the line. He said: "As a fan I'm going to have to go with Arsenal. I do think we look solid, a bit less against Sunderland the other day, but its time for us so hopefully it can happen."

Antoine Semenyo is one of the most in-demand players in the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur are among several clubs keeping tabs on the Bournemouth sensation

Thomas Frank has already revealed exactly what he thinks of Antoine Semenyo as Tottenham reportedly eye a move for the Bournemouth talisman. The 25-year-old forward has become one of the Premier League's most sought-after talents and is being monitored by a number of big clubs.

Sky Sports report that Tottenham, as well as Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, are among the interested parties.

Tottenham made initial contact over Semenyo back in June, but the Cherries made their position clear - they weren't interested in selling and would demand around £70million to even consider a deal.

Spurs ultimately invested that cash elsewhere in the summer window, but could now revive their interest in the winger when the January transfer window opens.

The left-wing position is an area where Frank could strengthen his squad. And his comments from 12 months ago made it clear that he holds Semenyo in high regard, suggesting he would be open to Spurs now making a move for the forward.

While still in charge of Brentford and speaking ahead of the Bees’ clash with Bournemouth, Frank singled out Semenyo as the main threat that his side needed to keep tabs on.

"Semenyo can play wherever he wants to play. He's a fantastic player," Frank said.

"I think he's been the best individual player for Bournemouth this season. He is definitely a player we need to look out for and do our best to close down."

His assessment was spot on, as Semenyo went on to record 13 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances last season. The Ghanaian's stellar form has carried over into this season, with six goals and three assists already under his belt in just 11 league games.

Since joining from Bristol City in January 2023, he's evolved into one of the Premier League's most lethal and consistent forwards. As such, Spurs will have to dig deep into their pockets if they want to secure his services.

It's understood that Semenyo is content on the south coast and hasn't requested a transfer, despite some reports suggesting otherwise, which has reportedly frustrated the player.

Arsenal and United were also keen on snapping him up in the summer but opted for Eberechi Eze and Bryan Mbeumo instead, respectively. In July, the winger put pen to paper on a new five-year deal at the Vitality Stadium, meaning Bournemouth are in no rush to part ways with their star man.

Ekow Essuman was sent through the ropes as he was brutally stopped by Jack Catterall. Essuman and Catteral were fighting as the chief support to Chris Eubank Jr's rematch with Conor Benn on Saturday night.

Essuman was dropped in the fourth round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. But he battled his way back into the fight until the penultimate session. Having slipped on the canvas, he was knocked back down when he rose to his feet.

And when the action restarted, Catterall pounced, unleashing a barrage of shots on his helpless opponent. A stretcher was called for at ringside but Essuman was able to return to his feet shortly afterwards after receiving oxygen on the ring apron.

He had been hoping to follow up his win over Josh Taylor earlier this year but instead Catterall produced a brilliant performance to take a step towards a world title shot.

"First and foremost, shout out to his team. Good people, and Essuman is a solid fighter," said Catterall. "We've been working on things, having the confidence to let the hands go. This was the second fight at welterweight. I can still punch but it's having the confidence to keep throwing the hands. I want all of them, [Mario] Barrios, [Lewis] Crocker, [Brian] Norman, [Rolando] Romero, I want them all!"

Earlier on the undercard, Adam Azim stopped Kurt Scoby in the penultimate round after a shut-out performance. Scoby stepped in at short notice to take on rising star Azim but was outclassed throughout. Azim will now head to New York in January to watch rival Dalton Smith in his world title clash with Subriel Matias.

Also on the undercard, Ishmael Davis became British and Commonwealth super-welterweight champion with a narrow points win over Sam Gilley. And Richard Riakporhe needed just two rounds to stop Tommy Welch as he continued his impressive start to his heavyweight career.

Later in the evening, the headline fight went the way of Benn after a comprehensive victory over Eubank Jr. The Destroyer won by unanimous decision after taking the fight to his rival, gaining revenge for his defeat to the same opponent back in April.

"It's been some journey and I feel like this is the end of the Benn-Eubank saga. It's done and finished. It's over. This ends here," Benn told DAZN after his win. "Everyone was saying I can't box, put that in your pipe and smoke it.

"This wouldn't have been what it was without Chris and without our dads. This is generational. This is history. Credit to Chris. That's all I've got to say. Not bad for two silver spoon kids."

Tottenham have been handed a potential injury scare just a week before the North London Derby against Arsenal, with Pape Matar Sarr forced off with a suspected injury

Tottenham Hotspur could be facing an injury worry just a week before their North London Derby against Arsenal. Spurs are currently enjoying the November international break, the last two-week pause from top-tier action of the year.

Thomas Frank and his team will be nervously waiting to see if the Tottenham players who have jetted off for international duty return without any injuries or fitness issues.

However, Pape Matar Sarr has potentially given Spurs cause for concern, picking up a suspected injury just a week before the international break concludes.

Sarr was playing for Senegal in a friendly match against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, reports football.london.

The Spurs midfielder was selected in the starting XI by manager Pape Thiaw, but had to be withdrawn in the 49th minute.

Sarr picked up the suspected injury following a tackle with Manchester United's Matheus Cunha for Brazil, and was subsequently replaced by Bayern Munich star and Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson.

Brazil were leading 2-0 at half-time, thanks to goals from Chelsea's Estevao Willian and Man United's Casemiro.

The extent of Sarr's potential injury is yet to be determined, with Senegal due to play Kenya on Tuesday in their final match of the international break.

Arsenal were dealt a potential injury blow of their own during the match as Gabriel Magalhaes was substituted for Brazil in the second half.

Meanwhile, Tottenham's Sarr has been a regular figure in the midfield this season, playing the full 90 minutes in the last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Man United.

Spurs are set to return to Premier League action on November 23 in the North London Derby at the Emirates, and face an anxious wait to see if Sarr will be fit for the clash.

Tottenham have already been forced to deal with several injury concerns throughout the season so far, with James Maddison a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

Spurs were also without Dominik Solanke, Mohammed Kudus, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies, and Kota Takai for the draw against Man United before the international break.

Frank will also be facing a nervous wait over the fitness of Randal Kolo Muani, who was withdrawn at half-time of the draw with the Red Devils with a fractured jaw - though the attacker will not require surgery on the injury.

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Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have formed a solid partnership at Tottenham this season, with the duo conceding just five goals in the Premier League this season

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro has overlooked Arsenal's centre-back duo, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, when asked about the Premier League's best defensive partnership. Despite the Gunners' formidable defence conceding a mere five goals in the English top-flight this season, contributing to their four-point lead, Sandro holds a different opinion.

Speaking with football.london, via football odds, the Brazilian was quizzed on whether Tottenham's Romero and Micky van de Ven form the league's top defensive pair. He expressed admiration for how Romero interacts with referees and Spurs' players.

"I think so, I believe that it is the best defensive partnership in the Premier League, because you can see the quality that Van de Ven has and his speed," he said.

"Yes, he made a mistake against Chelsea, but who doesn't make a mistake? Everybody does, and if you balance the mistakes and the good things that he does, he's amazing."

On Romero's behaviour, Sandro added: "The leadership that Romero has, it's unbelievable. You can see straight away the way he manages the game, the way he talks with the referees, with the midfielders. I love Romero. Proper leader.

"And I think he's now reading the game a little bit more to get into positions, where he used to get stupid yellow cards and red cards.

"But now, I think he has learned a little bit. Okay, he's never going to change, he goes for the ball, but I think he's now a bit calmer."

Sandro's assessment differs from that of Arsenal legend Martin Keown. The former England defender has previously declared that Magalhaes and Saliba represent the finest defensive partnership in Europe.

"Gabriel and Saliba are the best partnership in Europe; they're aggressive, contact players," he told TNT Sports in 2024.

Ex-Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand shares this opinion. "I think they are the best pairing in Europe," he said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel.

"They complement each other, their styles are perfect for each other. A good mix and blend."

Arsenal and Tottenham will get the opportunity to demonstrate which partnership reigns supreme when both sides meet in their first fixture after the international break on Sunday, November 23.

Benjamin Sesko has been at the centre of a club-versus-country disagreement after he picked up an injury in the late stages of Manchester United's 2-2 draw against Tottenham

The Football Association of Slovenia has moved to bring an end to the club-versus-country row involving Benjamin Sesko. The forward picked up a knee injury during Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.

He had been due to link up with the Slovenia national team for their World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Sweden, but did not report for international duty at the Slovenian FA’s headquarters in Brdo pri Kranju on Monday and has instead stayed at Carrington for further treatment on an injury that is not thought to be serious.

But Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek was left furious by the call for Sesko to remain in Manchester and claimed he had been kept in the dark by United.

He demanded his country be shown "maximum respect" and even threatened, according to the Daily Mail, to cause a "diplomatic incident", as he would have preferred his own doctors to examine the forward.

But despite Kek’s claims, Slovenia’s national federation has revealed it has received all the relevant medical documentation and accepted United’s diagnosis as they aim to put the row to bed.

“The medical team of the Slovenian national football team received the complete medical documentation from Manchester United regarding Benjamin Sesko’s health condition following his injury on Saturday, including the current clinical picture and the examinations performed,” a spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

“Unfortunately, the injury currently does not allow for the training process. In the coming days, additional examinations and the start of treatment are planned at the club, so Benjamin will unfortunately not be able to participate in this national team action. We wish Benjamin a speedy recovery and a return to the football field as soon as possible.”

United believe they followed the necessary protocols in terms of withdrawing Sesko from the squad. However, a furious Kek claimed earlier this week: “With all due respect to a great club like Manchester United, we have officially not received anything yet; no papers, no documents.

“We would certainly like to get them. We want our medical team to also take a look at it. Our doctor is an expert in this field. We don’t have just anyone in this position.

“I cannot comment, of course I have certain information and I am also in contact with Beni. I can’t say anything because officially we don’t know anything at all.

“United haven’t contacted anyone from our camp. Of course, I am concerned about the player. The only thing that matters to me is his wellbeing."

He added: “The national team is something very special and I expect maximum respect from everyone.

“Slovenia deserves that, even if on the other side there is a powerhouse like England, and something as extraordinary as the Premier League. After all it has been quite some time since England defeated Slovenia and that in itself says something about us.”