Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has confirmed that Mali international Yves Bissouma will return to the squad for their Premier League opener against Burnley on Saturday.
Bissouma was left out of the midweek European Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain due to poor timekeeping, but Frank says the matter has been dealt with internally.
“Bissouma was a situation. I addressed it, there was a consequence. He will be in the squad tomorrow,” the Spurs boss said during his pre-match press conference.
Frank, reflecting on the midweek loss in Udine, praised the mentality his players showed in taking the European champions to a penalty shootout.
“One thing is the mentality of the group. Very strong mentality and we saw that against PSG, the way they worked and their approach to it. Also the ability to take on messages and game plans,” he noted.
The Tottenham manager also addressed the online abuse aimed at Mathys Tel, who missed in the shootout against PSG.
He condemned the attacks, stressing the importance of unity ahead of the new league season.
“I think it’s terrible what happened to Mathys. We’re doing everything to support him in this situation. He’s a strong person. He will have support from family and friends as well as us.
“There’s no real Tottenham supporter that will do that. You’ll see the real Tottenham supporters at the stadium tomorrow backing him. I expect big cheers for him tomorrow,” Frank said.
With Spurs kicking off their league campaign at home, Frank expects the atmosphere to be electric and for the fans to show their backing for both Tel and the rest of the squad as they target a winning start to the season.
