Tottenham boss clarifies illness scare for Romero and reflects on Solanke fitness concerns following dramatic Premier League comeback
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed that Cristian Romero was withdrawn at half time in Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Manchester City due to illness rather than injury, while also expressing hope that Dominic Solanke has avoided serious damage after another physically demanding outing.
Romero’s absence from the second half in North London immediately prompted concern, particularly given Tottenham’s ongoing struggles with availability across the squad.
However, Frank moved quickly after the match to clarify the situation, stressing that the defender’s condition was not related to a muscular or contact issue.
“It was illness. He struggled through the [Eintracht] Frankfurt game as well but pushed through that. Struggled a bit tonight but we’ll see how he is,” he noted.
“Going to be watching that back a lot.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/NIh2Y9yEeS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 2, 2026
Which matches will Solanke and Romero miss due to injury?
There is optimism that Romero’s illness will not keep him sidelined for long. The expectation is that he will recover in time to be available for next weekend’s trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
At this stage, neither Romero nor Solanke is expected to face an extended spell on the sidelines, though Tottenham will continue to assess both closely.
The Spurs striker scored twice after half time to erase City’s two goal lead, producing one of Tottenham’s most spirited displays of the season. Yet his movement late in the match made clear that he was struggling physically, particularly as the intensity increased.
Frank acknowledged after the final whistle that Solanke had been operating below full fitness and that the club had knowingly taken a risk by asking him to play such a demanding role.
“He clearly struggled to run,” Frank said. “So he knew, he struggled to run fitness-wise. We knew before the game again it would be a big push to play 90. He’s not there fitness-wise where he should be, because he’s been out for so long. And we’ve been, in a way, a little bit forced to play him.
“And I think it’s pretty evident that he’s relatively important for us. Four goals in four games, with him being on his 70 to 80 percent of fitness and top sharpness. But imagine City playing without Haaland for six months. So I think we’ve been quite hard hit with injuries. Yeah, in general, but Dom was excellent.”
The concern now is whether the ankle problem that appeared to trouble him late on will require careful load management in the coming weeks. Tottenham’s medical staff are expected to monitor his response closely before decisions are made about his involvement in upcoming matches.