Thomas Frank and Dominic Solanke have barely had the chance to work together due to the striker's ankle injury.
Solanke joined the club last summer, a year removed from Harry Kane's exit, with a clean injury record, but has succumbed to notable fitness setbacks in each of his two seasons with the Lilywhites.
The ankle issue is currently dealing with has bothered him since the summer. He barely had a pre-season, and appeared just twice off the bench at the start of the Premier League campaign before enduring another bout on the sidelines.
While Frank was keen to downplay the significance of the problem, describing it as "nothing big", Solanke underwent minor surgery to fix the lingering issue, and a return to action currently doesn't appear imminent.
Dominic Solanke not providing timescale for ankle injury return
“At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long, but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury," Solanke told The Athletic before the international break. "I was trying to get back as quickly as I could, but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back.
The striker is said to have been working individually at the training ground over the past couple of weeks, but is yet to be fully integrated back into Frank's squad. Still, there had been some optimism regarding a potential comeback after the third interval of the season.
However, Solanke's comments would suggest that we may have to wait a little while longer to see him back in action.
“I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer," he added.
While the striker wasn't prolific last season and may never be in N17, his presence up top is sorely missed. Solanke's work out of possession, as well as his technical security while functioning as a team's focal point, are attributes that would undoubtedly help Frank's Spurs. He's a tremendously selfless forward who perhaps didn't get enough flowers for the role he played during his debut season.
Spurs will be without him for the first North London Derby of the season this weekend, which is, of course, a blow and Randal Kolo Muani's absence means Frank will have to lean on Richarlison and Mathys Tel against the Premier League's stoutest defence, albeit one that has lost Gabriel.