Dominic Solanke sends Tottenham reminder as Thomas Frank faces Richarlison dilemma vs West Ham

Dominic Solanke will be hoping to make his first Tottenham start of the new Premier League campaign against West Ham United this weekend having been plagued by an ankle injury since pre-season.

After missing five friendlies, Solanke returned off the bench in Spurs' UEFA Super Cup final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, with two substitute cameos against Burnley and Manchester City following that.

The form of Richarlison has kept him out of the starting XI but it also looks as though injury is preventing him from playing more minutes with the Englishmen absent from the matchday squad to face his former club Bournemouth prior to the international break.

"He has got a minor issue with his ankle," Thomas Frank revealed. "That's been a little bit grumbling also in the pre-season. It's just too much for this game and now we have international break so hopefully he can be ready after that."

Solanke posted a photo of himself in the Hotspur Way gym just a few days later with it clear he is eager to get back involved. If he deemed fit to return, that could even come from the start with Richarlison potentially a late returner from international duty after playing for Brazil in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were beaten in a World Cup qualifier away at Bolivia with conditions far from ideal for those visiting their 23,000 capacity stadium as it is at an altitude of 4,088 metres above sea level. Oxygen masks are often needed for those that play at such altitudes, with Neymar previously describing the conditions as 'inhuman'.

With Richarlison playing just over an hour from the off, he may not have physically recovered to start Spurs' trip to West Ham on Saturday evening. That could see Solanke included in the starting XI - even if he only plays 45-60 minutes.

The 27-year-old appears to be keen on featuring after posting a photo of him in action for Spurs to his Instagram story. Alternatively, Frank could hand deadline day signing Randal Kolo Muani his debut.

After joining on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Kolo Muani has spent the last 10 days training under Frank and with some of his new teammates.

Frank also looks set for dilemmas elsewhere with Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence competing for the left-back spot. The latter has just made his England debut and been very impressive in Tottenham's four competitive games.

Elsewhere, Lucas Bergvall will be pushing to start in midfield after mixed displays by Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha last time. Xavi Simons is expected to make his debut further forward as Spurs do not have another attacking midfielder available.

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