Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that both Richarlison and Dominic Solanke will miss the upcoming Premier League fixture against Newcastle United due to injuries.
In the latest press conference, Postecoglou provided key updates on his squad’s fitness.
The Australian manager revealed that while Solanke, signed from Bournemouth for £65 million, is nearing full recovery from an ankle injury, Spurs will err on the side of caution and hold him back until after the international break.
Ange confirms Richarlison has picked up an injury
Richarlison, the Brazilian forward who has struggled with fitness since joining Tottenham, will also be sidelined due to a muscle injury.
Postecoglou indicated that more information is being gathered on Richarlison’s condition but confirmed that he will not feature against Newcastle.
On a more positive note, Postecoglou confirmed that Rodrigo Bentancur, who suffered a head injury in the season opener against Leicester City, has been cleared to return to the starting XI. Bentancur has passed all required protocols and is fit to play.
Speaking ahead of the game this weekend, Ange said (quotes via Football London):
“Main ones, I guess, Dom Solanke is close but we’ll err on the side of caution, he won’t play on the weekend with the international week, we’ve made a decision to wait until after that.
“Bentancur’s all good, he’s trained well, gone through all the protocols and most important he feels good training-wise.
“Richy pulled up sore, I think there’s a muscle injury there, we’re just getting more information but he’ll be out as well.
“Yeah, that’s it and that’s a challenge, I guess. It’s something we’ve got to look at again. He’s been in that cycle for quite a while and predating me, I guess. We’ve put a lot of thought [into it], we took a really sort of conservative approach with him. He didn’t play in any of the preseason games, and he’s really only played 20 minutes of first team football.
Tottenham’s Premier League opener saw them draw 1-1 to Leicester City. However, they responded with a convincing 4-0 win against Everton last weekend.
Ange will be hoping to go into the international break on a high, with their first back-to-back win of the season.
As Tottenham prepare for their clash with Newcastle, Postecoglou and his team will have to navigate these injury issues while relying on the depth and talent within the squad.
