Latest Tottenham injury news as four miss West Ham after fresh blow confirmed

Thomas Frank has been handed a starting XI hint following an injury update before West Ham vs Tottenham (Image: (Photo by Matt West/Shutterstock))

Thomas Frank will be hoping to have a key Tottenham player back in his matchday squad to face West Ham United after seeing a long-term absentee feature in team training for the first time in nearly eight months.

Injuries have already impacted the new Spurs boss, with Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke missing Premier League games after James Maddison underwent surgery on his knee. Minor fitness concerns have also seen summer signing Joao Palhinha handed reduced minutes.

As several injury problems were evident, it was clear that further investment was required, with Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani both arriving in the final few days of the summer window.

The latter remained at Hotspur Way over the international break, while Simons went away alongside Micky van de Ven to represent the Netherlands.

Tottenham's new attacking midfielder only played once, while captain Cristian Romero also missed Argentina's second World Cup qualifier due to suspension. New centre-back Kota Takai is also yet to make his debut as he continues to be plagued by a plantar fascia injury.

One Spurs defender that did not represent his country over the domestic pause was Radu Dragusin . He has been missing with a serious knee injury since mid-January, but he has now returned to full team training ahead of schedule.

Given the length of his absence and the severity of the injury that kept him out, it will likely be a few more weeks before he is back available. Dejan Kulusevski is another that has been forced to miss a significant period because of a knee issue but the man himself has hinted at when he might be back.

Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, he said: "The status is good. The rehab is going well. Every day I wake up with the same hunger and even more hunger with each passing day. I will be on a football pitch in the very, very near future. If everything goes, as it should, as it has so far, I'm very confident that I will be on the pitch in two to three months."

As for those that could immediately return, Yves Bissouma is likely to be back in contention after Frank revealed he wouldn't be out for "that long" at the end of August. Even if he is fit, with speculation still surrounding his future, he may continue to be omitted.

Solanke is another eyeing a return after missing the defeat to Bournemouth before the international break. Just a few days after that, he uploaded a photo on his Instagram story of him in the gym at Hotspur Way and noticeably without any obvious support on his ankle, which suggests he could be back soon.

As for their Saturday teatime opponents, West Ham, Niclas Fullkrug could miss out after Graham Potter revealed why he returned from the Germany camp early.

When asked for an injury update on Thursday, he said: "We've got Niclas, who has had a slight issue with his calf from international duty, so he came [back] early. He's trained lightly today, so we'll see how he reacts." Young midfielder George Earthy also still looks to be dealing with a foot injury, with Luis Guilherme also out.

Other than that, the Hammers have a clean bill of health, with Crysencio Summerville returning off the bench against Nottingham Forest. Deadline day signing Soungoutou Magassa is expected to be available along with Lucas Paqueta after a late move to Aston Villa did not go through.