Postecoglou clarifies that Solanke's injury is not serious and he could return for the NLD

This morning, Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou held a press conference where he announced that new record capped striker Dominic Solanke will miss tomorrow's home game against Everton after suffering an ankle injury in the early stages of Spurs' 1-1 draw with Leicester. However, he made further comments, kept under wraps until this evening, in which he provided further clarification on Solanke's injury and gave some clues on Richarlison's fitness.

Firstly, Solanke's injury is not as serious as it could be and Postecoglou expects him to be fit to play after the international break when Spurs host Arsenal in the first NLD of the season on September 15, or possibly sooner.

“It's not so bad that he's out for five weeks, he's still got a chance for the Newcastle game. That's all, it's just about how quickly he recovers. Every story is written differently. They're not all fairytales where you come in, make your debut and score a hat-trick. He was very good for us at Leicester and we're disappointed because it was really exciting to see him fit in really well with what we do.

“I have no doubt about it. It's just a little blip. He'll miss a game or two, it's the first of over 50 games. He'll have plenty of opportunities to recover from that. For me, the exciting thing was watching him in the team last week. I can just say he's going to fit in really well.

“Everything is good. We didn't sign Dom for one game and he knows that. Hopefully he stays here for a long time to really make an impact and bring success to this club. I was excited by what we saw last week and this is just a small stumbling block. I'm sure he's excited to be back out there.”

Postecoglou also praised Solanke's likely successor Richarlison and stressed the importance of having two solid strikers available for exactly such situations.

“Yes, absolutely. Richy is not going anywhere, but if he were to leave, I would definitely sign another striker,” said Postecoglou. “We had this problem last year when we were really short of players in that area. To be honest, we played the whole pre-season without a striker. I let Deki Kulusevski play there the whole pre-season because we hadn't signed Dom and Richy wasn't there.”

“It makes a difference in how we play when we have a striker. It's really important for us to have two recognized strong strikers in the team.”

That raises a big question, though: Richarlison is clearly not fully fit after missing the entire pre-season while recovering from surgery. The first time we saw him was his brief appearance against Leicester, where he blasted a potentially game-winning header wide of the post. So what's the plan?

“That's the thing with Richy, we're trying to get him fit. Of course we have to be a bit cautious with him because he hasn't played for quite a while. I've said before, whenever he's been fit and available, I've always picked him because he's a real challenge for the opposition. He's a real physical presence in the box, he's a good finisher, he works hard for the team.

“But now that we have Dom, hopefully it's the case that we can share the workload and not be so dependent on one player. I think he's still at a good age, Richy, where he can still play fantastic football for us. We need to make sure we keep him fit and manage his workload so we can get the best out of him.

“He is fit enough to start the game [against Everton] because he's training, but can he play 90 minutes? No. So that's the decision. He came in last week, but the match fitness is different and he didn't play a minute in pre-season. That's the time we're giving him.”

With Will Lankshear also out for a few weeks with a minor thigh injury, Spurs are once again thin at the top. Postecoglou had previously said he had no intention of revisiting the idea of ​​using Dejan Kulusevski as a false nine, despite having used him there throughout pre-season. Big Ange seemed to be moving away from that somewhat.

“It's an option. I don't think it's his best area, but in preseason and in at least one game at the end of last season he was such a hard worker, he runs the line really well and can link up with the rest of the team in the build-up. I think he can do a job there for us, but I don't think it's his best position.”

This makes me believe that Richy might start the game but make way for Deki in the second half. Perhaps Son Heung-Min or even Brennan Johnson will step in as striker for a while tomorrow.

Finally, Postecoglou addressed the other topic – Yves Bissouma. The Malian midfielder will soon return from his one-match ban imposed by his club after he posted a video on social media of himself inhaling laughing gas. Postecoglou suggested that Bissouma is now fit to play again, but that the culture of trust he had pointed to in his earlier comments is still a work in progress.

“Do you know what it's like when you punish your child and then he does everything right for the next two days? He's the first at the meetings, he does everything right, but there are always temptations, so we'll see. I've always believed in the possibility of making amends and learning. Right now we're still in that phase with Biss.

“But of course, after a while, when there are repeated indiscretions, that door closes. He was good, but I would have been surprised if he wasn't. With Biss, consistency is always key. The consistency of his behavior, what he does… it's not like he does a lot of bad things.

“Obviously the last infraction was very serious, but it's also the little things along the way. I think sometimes it shows in his game when he's really good, and then there are moments when he's not. I think it's all connected. From our perspective, it's about continually guiding him, but it's up to him. He's got to keep trying to be the best version of himself that he can be.”

I'm not particularly keen on the tone of Ange's comments about Bissouma – it comes across as a little childish, as if Bissouma really was a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar rather than a grown man who can make his own decisions, or the implication that Yves needs to be taken by the hand to ensure he stays on the straight and narrow. That said, I appreciate Ange's willingness to forgive and pardon wrongdoing and believe he has the best interests of all his players at heart. I also hope this is the last we hear about any issues related to Bissouma's behaviour this season.