Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed striker Dominic Solanke has a knee injury and it is unclear for how long he will be sidelined.
Solanke was not named in the squad for Sunday's Premier League trip to Everton after rumours emerged on Saturday that he had suffered an injury in training.
"Dom tweaked his knee yesterday [Saturday] in training trying to take a shot and misses today and we're not sure of the extent of it," Postecoglou said.
"It's always a blow when you lose key players for any club. Obviously in the situation we're in that's further exemplified by the fact that we don't really have the depth to cover it at the moment, but that's ok. We've got 11 fit players and that's what you need to start a game."
It means Spurs now have 10 senior players out injured in Solanke, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defenders Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, midfielders Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur and forwards Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner.
Postecoglou also revealed Johnson and Bissouma, two recent additions to Spurs' injury list, picked up knocks in the 2-1 derby defeat to Arsenal, with Johnson's being the more significant injury of the two.
You can see a comprehensive list of all clubs' injured players, below.
Spurs striker Richarlison has recently returned from an injury that has kept him to just six Premier League appearances this season, although the Brazilian is not yet match-fit and is on the substitutes' bench against Everton.
One boost for Spurs is that versatile defender Ben Davies is fit again after a hamstring strain and starts against Everton, making his first appearance since 5 December and also allowing 18-year-old Archie Gray to move out of central defence and into his favoured central-midfield position.
Spurs' injured players
| Player | Injury | Latest Update |
| Rodrigo Bentancur | Head | Details |
| Cristian Romero | Muscle | Details |
| Destiny Udogie | Hamstring | Details |
| Micky van de Ven | - | Details |
| Guglielmo Vicario | Ankle | Details |
| Wilson Odobert | Hamstring | Details |
| Timo Werner | Hamstring | Details |
| Yves Bissouma | - | Details |
| Brennan Johnson | - | Details |
| Dominic Solanke | Knee | Details |
Solanke has scored seven goals and assisted a further three in 18 Premier League appearances this season following his summer transfer to Spurs from AFC Bournemouth.
Spurs' ongoing injury crisis has meant he has played 1,601 minutes in the Premier League, the third-most at the club, after Pedro Porro (1,716) and Dejan Kulusevski (1,681). He has also played six times in the UEFA Europa League, four times in the EFL Cup and once in the FA Cup.
It is Solanke's second injury of the season, after an ankle problem that kept him out for three weeks from August to September. Prior to joining Spurs this season, he had suffered only one injury since March 2021, according to Transfermarkt.
What it means for Spurs
This latest blow means Spurs are lacking experience, with their starting XI at Goodison Park consisting of Antonin Kinsky (21 years of age), Radu Dragusin (22), Porro (25), Djed Spence (24), Davies (31), Gray (18), Lucas Bergvall (18), Pape Sarr (22), James Maddison (28), Kulusevski (24) and Son Heung-min (32).
Their substitutes' bench consists of Brandon Austin (26), Sergio Reguilon (28), Malachi Hardy (16), Callum Olusesi (17), Richarlison (27), Yang Min-hyeok (18), Will Lankshear (19), Mikey Moore (17) and Damola Ajayi (19).
Spurs are 15th in the Premier League table, closer to the bottom three (eight points) than to Fulham in ninth (nine points).
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Spurs
TOT
|
22 | +10 | 24 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
21 | -10 | 20 |
| 17 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
22 | -17 | 17 |
| 18 |
Wolves
WOL
|
21 | -17 | 16 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
22 | -25 | 14 |
They are winless in five league matches and have won only two of their last 11 matches, with pressure being put on Postecoglou, despite the club being in the EFL Cup semi-finals and the fourth round of the FA Cup, as well as sitting ninth in the Europa League with two matches remaining.
Spurs' next league fixtures
What the pundits say
Jermain Defoe: "It's a nightmare for a manager when you've got key players out for long periods. Solanke's started well, he scores goals and he's got energy. When you have this many injuries, can you change? The young players have come in and done well but can you protect them a little bit, instead of playing the same way you would when you've got your strongest XI out?"
Owen Hargreaves: "There aren't many teams in the Premier League missing seven of their starting XI. But you also have to look at other things within a football club if you have that many players injured. What's happening in training, in the gym, recovery? It makes Ange's job so hard."
