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Solanke surgery leaves Spurs struggling for strikers / Photo: © AFP/File
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Solanke surgery leaves Spurs struggling for strikers
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank confirmed Monday that his side will be without striker Dominic Solanke for their Champions League meeting at Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
The 28-year-old last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City and has now undergone a minor surgery to fix his injured ankle which will keep him out of Tuesday's match as well as the Premier League meeting with Leeds on Saturday.
"It’s a small procedure, so that will mean he is not ready for today of course and of course Leeds as well,” Spurs boss Frank told a press conference ahead of the game in the Arctic Circle.
"We’ll have more news about a timeframe after the international break but I don't expect it to be long."
Surgery for Solanke leaves Frank light on attacking options at the Aspmyra Stadion, with Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, unable to train on Monday because of a dead leg.
Frank said the medical staff were "on top of" the problem but Muani is out of the picture for Tuesday leaving Richarlison as the only fit striker for a rematch against the side that Spurs beat 5-1 on aggregate four months ago to reach the Europa League final.
Mathys Tel featured in the 2-0 win in Norway but is not registered for Tottenham's Champions League squad.
The Europa League champions will also be without their captain Cristian Romero. Frank said he had been left in England as a "precaution" after a bruising encounter with Wolves.
However, Ben Davies is back after a minor knee issue and will be in the frame to play a part on Tuesday.
Danish coach Frank heaped praise on Bodo after their historic run to the Europa League semi-final was followed by qualification for the Champions League for the first time.
Frank, who succeeded Ange Postecoglou as Spurs coach during the summer, said he had watched video of the games but played down the relevance of their recent history.
"How many months is that? Four months ago? With all due respect, I was not the coach. This is a new game. This is a new situation," he said.
Spurs won their opening match 1-0 against Villarreal in London while the Norwegians drew 2-2 at Slavia Prague.
N. Nilsson--BTZ
