Thomas Frank has spoken on the status of Yves Bissouma in his Tottenham Hotspur squad after recently disciplining the midfielder.
The 28-year-old was not included in the travelling squad for Spurs' UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday (August 13).
Frank revealed in his pre-match press conference for the game in Udine that this was due to the player being late "one too many" times.
The former Brentford manager insisted then that he would properly deal with Bissouma's situation after the Super Cup due to wanting to focus on his first competitive game as Spurs boss.
Worryingly, this marked the second year in a row where Bissouma was handed a punishment by his club on the eve of a new campaign.
The Mali international was left out of Spurs' squad for the opening match of the 2024/25 Premier League season after being caught inhaling nitrous oxide gas from a balloon.
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Will Bissouma be available to feature in Spurs' opening Premier League game?
When asked for an update over Bissouma's availability on the eve of Spurs' first Premier League game of the season against Burnley on Saturday (August 16), Frank provided full clarity over the matter.
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"Bissouma will be in the squad, (we) move forward and have a big game tomorrow," the 51-year-old confirmed in his pre-match press conference.
"There was a situation. I addressed this. There was a consequence. You deal with these situations internally. It’s dealt with, and I’m looking forward," the Dane added.
"It’s a big game tomorrow, and that’s where the main focus should be."
Frank alluded to his reasoning for disciplining Bissouma and why it is necessary to do so as a manager.
"I've done exactly the same at Brentford and other places I've worked before. I just have certain standards and demands."
"Players need a lot of love, and there needs to be a lot of demands, and there also needs to be consequences if the demands are not reached," he explained.
The new Spurs manager will be glad to have this issue behind him as he will want to keep focus over matters on the pitch instead.
Despite Bissouma being available for selection again, the player may have a difficult time getting back into Spurs' starting line-up after the arrival of Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese midfielder impressed against PSG, forming a solid Spurs midfield trio alongside Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur.
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