Dominic Solanke has played a grand total of 33 minutes for Tottenham Hotspur this season and has not been seen on the pitch since the 2-0 home win over Manchester City on August 23. It’s not great! What looked at first to be something of a minor injury to his ankle turned into what was then described as “minor surgery” and an extended, multi-month absence. The club and Solanke himself have been trying to actively minimize the time it would take for him to recover over the course of his rehabilitation,
but it hasn’t really worked.
Now, in quotes given to the media in The Athletic, Solanke has decided to drop the pretense somewhat. He says he doesn’t know how long he’ll be out, that it’s been frustrating, and he’s no longer putting a timetable on his recovery, but still backs Spurs to be a very good team when the current injury crisis is over.
“It’s been very difficult. At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back.
“I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer.”
Tottenham fans have a fatalistic attitude towards injuries even at the best of times, but it’s been decidedly worse in recent seasons, and especially in the past two campaigns which have seen Spurs hindered by an extensive injury list. Under Ange Postecoglou last season, Tottenham had at one point 12 players unavailable to play due to injuries, which led to breathless exhortations and discussions about how Postecoglou’s tactics might be actively harming Spurs’ players. This season, the first under Thomas Frank, the injury list reached 13 players, including long-term injuries not only to Solanke but also to players such as Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Radu Dragusin, all of whom have been recuperating long term from knee injuries that required surgery.
Thankfully, the spate of injuries has largely avoided the defense this season; in 2024-25, long term absences to both Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Dragusin resulted in Spurs playing extensive matches with Ben Davies and 18-year-old out-of-position midfielder Archie Gray in central defense. There’s plenty of talent on this Tottenham Hotspur team this season, but for large stretches of the season much of it has simply been unavailable.
That’s why Solanke still believes that Spurs can be a force in the Premier League under Thomas Frank this season once players start to return from injury.
“I haven’t had the chance to work with (Frank) too much but he is a great man manager. All the players are loving having him around. He speaks with us all and has meetings every day. Even with the coaching staff he has brought in, everyone gets on so well. It’s a great environment.
“We have had a good start to the season. When a few of us come back (from injury) and strengthen the squad, hopefully we can do some big things.”
But there’s obvious frustration from Solanke on the extent of his injury, amplified due to how being hurt has affected his chances of making the England squad the season before a World Cup.
“Another reason why I have been so frustrated is because it is a World Cup year and everyone wants to show why they should be going. There have been three international breaks this season and I have not been available for any of them. It’s been difficult but it is part of football.”
Spurs have already confirmed that Solanke will not be available for the North London Derby this Sunday. Neither Dom nor the club are putting any dates on when he might return to the pitch, and they’re finally no longer pretending that Solanke’s injury wasn’t a major one. Clearing the air doesn’t get him playing Spurs matches any faster, but perhaps acknowledging the elephant in the room might make fans a little more sympathetic towards his situation.
