Tottenham: Thomas Frank issues Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie injury update ahead of Newcastle trip | OneFootball

Defensive pair remain sidelined as Dominic Solanke makes progress

Tottenham pair Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie remain out for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle.

It leaves Spurs short at centre-back for a test trip up north to face holders Newcastle.

Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso were standout performers on Sunday at Everton, the latter scoring twice as the pair stood tall to keep a clean sheet, and will be relied upon again three days later.

Dominic Solanke is another first-team regular currently sidelined with injury, having undergone surgery on an ankle issue earlier this season.

Frank was also reluctant to provide a clear update on the striker’s fitness when asked, replying: “Steps forward ... three steps forward."

The Spurs boss has confirmed he will rotate his team, as he has done between Premier League and cup competitions this season, due to the taxing schedule.

Arguably most in the firing line are midfield pair Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, who have started the last three games in a row.

"That's the challenge,” Frank said when asked about team selection. “It's one game so there's more at stake.

“I changed four from Monaco to Everton and three before that. Of course there'll be rotation, playing every third or fourth day. If you want to compete over 60 games, you can't play the same XI. So there's a fine balance. That's one of the beauties of being Head Coach, that's all part of the good fun."