Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven are both on track to be fit for Sunday's North London derby against Arsenal.
Solanke - who became Spurs' most expensive signing of all time when he joined in a £65m deal from Bournemouth this summer - has been out of the reckoning since hurting his ankle on his debut against Leicester City.
Meanwhile, Dutch defender Van de Ven was absent from the recent 2-1 loss to Newcastle United with a league injury, which also prevented him from linking up with the Netherlands squad during the international break.
However, there was optimism that both Solanke and Van de Ven would be able to shake off their issues in time for the visit of Arsenal, and Postecoglou has now confirmed that should be the case for the pair.
Speaking to the official Tottenham website, Postecoglou said: "It's fairly positive. Micky's good, he's trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he's ready to go.
Postecoglou shares Yves Bissouma, Richarlison updates ahead of Arsenal game
"Dom's improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training ok and are available."
While both Van de Ven and Solanke are on course to return this weekend, Spurs were dealt a fresh injury concern over the international break, as Yves Bissouma picked up a knock while playing for Mali against Eswatini in World Cup qualifying.
The ex-Brighton & Hove Albion man has not been ruled out of the visit of Arsenal just yet, though, and Postecoglou is keeping his fingers crossed that he will recover in time for the derby.
"We had the last of the boys in late yesterday so we'll have a look at them today and everyone's reporting all well except for Biss. He's got a bit of an issue, but we'll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles," Postecoglou added.
Should Bissouma return as well, Spurs' only absentees for the Arsenal showdown would be Richarlison - still recovering from a training injury - and Will Lankshear, with Postecoglou adding: "Richy's still got a bit of work to do, alongside Will Lankshear who is still in rehab."
What changes could Postecoglou make against Arsenal?
With neither Solanke nor Richarlison available against Newcastle, Postecoglou fielded a front three of Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min at St James' Park, but a fit Solanke will almost certainly return to the XI.
As Son is also an attacking stalwart and boasts eight goals against Arsenal, either Kulusevski or Odobert would likely be forced to cede their spots, and the latter's inexperience may prove costly.
Bissouma's knock could lead to a recall for Rodrigo Bentancur, even though the Uruguay international could be slapped with a lengthy ban for a racially insensitive comment he made about South Koreans earlier this year.
Van de Ven's expected return should also see Radu Dragusin drop back down to the bench, in what will likely be the third and final change made by Postecoglou for the derby. body check tags ::
