Dominic Solanke has been sidelined with an ankle injury since August and the Tottenham striker has revealed his frustration at being sidelined for so long.
Dominic Solanke has admitted life on the sidelines has been “difficult” but remains optimistic about Tottenham’s chances of achieving “big things” upon his return.
Solanke, who joined from Bournemouth for a record £65m in August 2024, had a start to the 2025/26 season under new manager Thomas Frank, but his efforts were marred by frustration. An ankle injury has limited the 28-year-old to just three appearances for Spurs this season, his last coming in a 2-0 win over Man City on August 23.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea player’s pre-season was interrupted by a recurring ankle problem, which led him to undergo “minor surgery” at the end of September to address the problem. As his return approaches, Solanke has opened up about the challenges of the past three months, Football London reports.
“It was very difficult,” Solanke admitted to The Athletic. “At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long, but I didn’t really understand the extent of the injury.
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“I was trying to get back as soon as possible but that didn’t happen so I had to have surgery and I’ve been working hard to get back since then.
“I don’t have a set schedule because I’ve been telling everyone for the last few months that I’ll be right back. I’m taking each day at a time, but I hope it won’t be too long.”
Solanke is not expected to return for Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham or the Champions League game against PSG in midweek. He has been back in the gym in recent weeks to build up his strength and has also been examined by outside experts regarding his injury.
The striker is looking forward to working with Frank, who joined from Brentford in the summer and has already made a number of changes to the way the club is run. “I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to work with (Frank), but he’s a great coach,” Solanke said.
“All the players really like having him. He talks to all of us, we have meetings every day. Even with the coaching staff he’s brought in, everyone gets along really well. It’s a great environment.”
“We’ve gotten off to a good start to the season. Once we get some guys back (from injuries) and strengthen the team, we expect we can do big things.”
James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray and Ben Davies are also absent due to injury.
There are also fitness concerns for Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Lukas Bergvall, Mohamed Kudus, Randal Kolo Muani and Papu Matar Sarr to feature in the North London derby.
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