It was a difficult first leg tie for Ange Postecoglou and his side with AZ Alkmaar dominating the North Londoners in about all departments of the game as Tottenham Hotspur trailed by a goal in the tie with the next leg to be played at N17, but the fixture went from bad to worse for the Lilywhites when Dominic Solanke had to be subbed off just minutes after coming on.

Solanke injury in the midweek

The former Bournemouth centre forward returned to action after a two-month knee injury layoff, and it was a bright sight for the Spurs supporters. He came on for South Korean skipper Heung-Min Son (who had an underwhelming outing) in the 72nd minute but was forced to walk off soon after.

Solanke was trying to go into a duel in the opponent’s box when AK Alkmaar’s goalkeeper came out to catch the incoming ball, and while he did catch the ball, he went to put his knee into Dom’s back in the process, which was soon followed by the Spurs striker screaming in distress and pain.

Ange gives update ahead of Bournemouth game

Tottenham Hotspur now host Bournemouth this weekend, and one of the questions going into the game would be that of Solanke and whether he would be available to feature against the Cherries.

Speaking ahead of the game, the Australian head coach spoke about the soreness in the 27-year-old’s back. He said:

“With Dom, obviously it’s a knee going into the backside so a bit sore but it’s a knock so hopefully he’ll be back pretty quickly.”

Wenham speaks about Solanke and why he shouldn’t feature against Bournemouth

And while the words by the former Celtic coach are on a positive note, John Wenham, owner of the reputed Spurs podcast Lilywhites Rose, insists that Solanke would be left out of the fixture given the importance that Tottenham has to put into the Europa League, and a rested Dom is better than a half-injured one.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, Wenham said:

“He will no doubt want to play on Sunday. Bournemouth is his old team, and they have already beaten us once this season.

“There won’t be a game he wants to play in more than the game against Bournemouth.

“However, I see him being left out to avoid any risks, and to allow him to recover and be ready to lead the line against AZ Alkmaar with a week of rest behind him.”

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• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: USNMT ace leaving Tottenham talks to his father, but where does he fit at N17 under Ange Postecoglou?

Wenham is right here, while Solanke may want to take the field and play against his former teammates; the risk of increasing the injury may be too high given the importance of the game against Bournemouth and that of the one that follows (against AK Alkmaar), and possibly if he is left out of the squad, it could be a good decision with a keen eye on the midweek.