Thomas Frank admits he 'makes mistakes weekly' as Tottenham boss confirms Cristian Romero WILL remain captain despite public outburst

The atmosphere at Spurs has been tense following Romero’s explosive social media post on Monday, in which he labelled the club’s injury-ravaged squad depth as "disgraceful". Within an hour of the January transfer window closing, the Argentine international took to Instagram to reveal he had played with an illness during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, lamenting that Spurs were left with "only 11 players available". The post was widely interpreted as a direct jab at the club's hierarchy for failing to bolster the squad beyond the mid-month signing of Conor Gallagher.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, Frank confirmed that the situation had been "dealt with internally". Although he refused to disclose whether Romero had been fined or otherwise disciplined, Frank was clear that the defender would retain the captaincy. "I wouldn't have done it. That is my message," Frank stated regarding Romero's public criticism, while acknowledging the "beauty of written text" means only Romero truly knows his intent.

In a candid moment during his pre-match press conference, Frank sought to humanise the mistake made by his 27-year-old captain by reflecting on his own career. The 52-year-old manager suggested that leadership is an ongoing learning process and that age does not make one immune to errors.

"Leadership is many things," he said. "I'm 52 years old. I think I'm pretty good at leadership. Can I get better every single day? Yes. Do I make mistakes? Maybe not every single day, but probably weekly. Romero is 27-years-old. Is he still going to make mistakes going forward as a leader, does he do a lot of good things? Yes."

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Romero’s post was not just a hit with disgruntled fans; it also garnered "likes" from several of his teammates. While some viewed this as a sign of a divided dressing room, Frank was quick to downplay the significance of social media activity. He countered that "we don't know what a like means," suggesting it could simply be support for the team's performance against Manchester City rather than a secondary endorsement of the criticism.

"Cuti is a very passionate character and player. He wants to leave everything on the pitch and he is very ambitious and wants to win every time," he added. "Sometimes when you are like that, sometimes there can be an outburst, which happened this time. It is something we have dealt with and dealt with internally."

He added: “It shows that Cuti is extremely passionate, he wants to win, he wants to do everything he can together with his team-mates to achieve great things, but you need to ask him next time you speak to him."

Despite the off-field drama, Tottenham have received a triple fitness boost ahead of their clash with Michael Carrick’s resurgent United. Frank confirmed that Romero has recovered from the illness that forced him off at half-time against City and is expected to start. Even more significant is the return of Micky van de Ven, who has trained all week and is available for selection after missing the last two matches with a knock.

Djed Spence is also "touch and go" but has a good chance of making the bench, while two-goal hero Dominic Solanke is expected to shake off an ankle issue. With Spurs currently sitting 14th in the table - just nine points above the relegation zone - Frank is focused on building on a recent unbeaten run. While the manager acknowledged that fans may be frustrated by the lack of January arrivals, he insisted that the club remains "very ambitious" and is focused on making long-term, calculated decisions.