Mali are out of the African Cup of Nations and Yves Bissouma is on his way back to Tottenham, but if the midfielder is to feature at the weekend for the Lilywhites, he will have to prove his fitness and undergo assessments for malaria, a disease he contracted during the tournament.
Bissouma has been on international duty for the last month, representing Mali at AFCON. He saw his side crash out of the competition at the quarter-final stage recently, losing to hosts Ivory Coast.
Spurs face Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League, but Bissouma’s involvement in that game is still uncertain.
Mali head coach, Eric Chelle, has confirmed to The Sun that Bissouma and his international teammate, Moussa Diarra, had been suffering from malaria throughout the course of the tournament. Chelle insisted that the situation was “not so serious” for Bissouma.
Bissouma to be tested before Brighton game
However, naturally, Tottenham are not about to take any risks with the player this weekend, and a report from the Standard reveals extensive tests and assessments will be carried out on Bissouma before he can feature against his former club.
The report claims Bissouma is due back at Tottenham within the next 48 hours, upon which he will “undergo a routine assessment for all players returning from international duty.”
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Although the 27-year-old is “now thought to be free of the disease,” it remains to be seen whether he will be passed fit for Saturday’s game. If he is fit, Bissouma would be available for Spurs, having served a four-match suspension for his red card against Nottingham Forest.
Spurs Web Opinion
I hope Bissouma is fit and ready to go, as I am a little bit worried about Rodrigo Bentancur at the moment. He has not quite looked himself the last couple of games and may need a little rest.
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