Ange Postecoglou reveals that three players have returned to training ahead of the Premier League game against Everton. The Lilywhites will host the Toffees in north London on Saturday hoping to continue their excellent form.
Postecoglou revealed ahead of the game that Giovani Lo Celso and Ashley Phillips have returned to training and will be in the squad on Saturday afternoon. Brennan Johnson, who was sent off last week against Nottingham Forest after taking a blow to the head in the first half, is also available and has been training all week.
Postecoglou told reporters: “Gio is back, he’s fine. Gio has been training for the last few days, so he is available. Ashley Phillips is also available.” Lo Celso was injured in training ahead of the game against Forest and missed the encounter entirely. Phillips injured his ankle during the international break in November.
Although Postecoglou has afforded the return of three players, Ryan Sessegnon remains absent. “Sess is still a couple of weeks away, maybe more. We have to be very careful about when we include him,” said the former Celtic boss.
Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie will not be available for Spurs against Sean Dyche’s team due to suspension. Bissouma will be unavailable for Tottenham’s next four games due to a red card at the City Ground, his second suspension of the campaign, while Udogie has been banned for one game after being cautioned for the fifth time this season in the win over Forest.
James Maddison, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Rodrigo Bentancur and Micky van de Ven are all long-term absentees and remain out of the game. We asked Postecoglou if Maddison and van de Ven could return to the team in January.