Thomas Frank provides fitness update on Spurs defensive duo

Thomas Frank says Radu Dragusin is getting closer to returning to full fitness, while Kota Takai is still not in training, having not made a competitive appearance for Spurs since signing in the summer.

Dragusin suffered an ACL injury in January in Tottenham’s Europa League tie against Elfsborg and has recently returned to training with the squad.

The Romanian was a key part of Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs squad, especially when Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were injured for large parts of last season.

Thomas Frank gave a positive update on the defender but still does not know exactly when he will be back fit for the first team.

“He’s fully integrated in training now,” Frank said. “Coming back will take time because the ACL is such a big injury, because you’re out for nine months, so you need to build strength in the knee and need to have the same strength in the other knee and so on, so on.

When asked about whether Dragusin could be involved for Totttenham after the next international break Frank said: “That could be likely.

“He is definitely getting closer to being involved. I think we plan to play him in a friendly, as I understand it, so that’s a big part of it.”

During the last international break, reports suggested that Romania were keen to call up Dragusin into their squad. Thomas Frank responded to the rumour saying: “Of course, I haven’t spoken to him about it, but that doesn’t make sense to me.”

Another Spurs defender who has struggled with injury this season is Kota Takai. The Japanese international joined the club this summer but is yet to make a competitive appearance because of a foot issue he picked up just weeks after joining.

Frank said: “So he’s still not training on the pitch, hopefully soon. I don’t know when he will be back, he’s not training. I’ll come back to that on Friday so I’m sure I’m saying the right thing.”

Takai joined Spurs from Kawasaki Frontale and Frank has been impressed by what he has seen from him when he has trained so far.

“Everyone in the squad is competing for minutes,” he said. “I like what I saw in the first few weeks he had at the club.

“Of course, he just came straight from Japan and competed, so I like what I saw, everyone is competing.”