Thomas Frank dealt another damaging Tottenham injury blow as midfielder Lucas Bergvall set for months on sidelines with ankle problem

In a new report from The Athletic, Bergvall is understood to have suffered “a high ankle sprain” in the win over German giants Dortmund at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While The Athletic have not disclosed how long Bergvall is expected to be out for, the BBC are reporting that Spurs fear the midfielder will miss up to three months of action.

The 19-year-old was named in the starting lineup for Tottenham’s clash with Niko Kovac’s Dortmund, but the former Djurgarden ace was forced off after picking up the injury in a challenge in the second half.

Bergvall had only just returned to the Spurs fold after missing three games in November through concussion, while he was also absent in the Premier League draw with Brentford on New Year’s Day, as well as the FA Cup third-round defeat against Aston Villa nine days later.

Tottenham head coach Frank said Bergvall was being assessed by the club’s medical team to determine how long he will be out for, though the Dane did say “it could be a longer one.”

“Unfortunately, Lucas picked up an ankle injury, he keeps being very unlucky with injuries and it looks like it could be a longer one,” Frank told reporters on Thursday.

“He is being assessed for these two days, on the timeframe we will know more about it in the next couple of days.”

The news compounds Spurs’ recent misery with injuries, with James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur all currently on the sidelines.

Midfielder Joao Palhinha has also missed the last two matches against Dortmund in the Champions League and West Ham United in the league after picking up a knock in training.

Tottenham have strengthened their midfield ranks with the signing of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid this month, with the England international having made his debut against West Ham.

Spurs also announced the signing of left-back Souza from Brazilian side Santos on Thursday evening, with the 19-year-old having put pen to paper on a long-term contract in north London.

In a statement on the club's official website, Souza said: “It’s an incredible feeling to join a really big club in Spurs. I grew up watching the Premier League so this is a childhood dream for me and I can’t wait to get going. 

“This is a big step in my development. The Premier League is very different to what I’m used to in Brazil, and I’m really looking forward to this challenge and to being part of the squad here.”

Meanwhile, manager Frank added: “I’m really pleased to add Souza to our squad. He is a talented, promising young full-back, who is forward-thinking and technically very good.

“I’m looking forward to working with him and helping developing that potential, as we believe we have bought one of the brightest left-back talents in the world, who can give us something now but also for the future.”

Tottenham return to action when they travel to Burnley in the league on Saturday, in a match which will see them come up against their former player and current Clarets boss Scott Parker.

The win over Dortmund helped ease some of the pressure on embattled Spurs manager Frank, who has been criticised following a poor run of form which has seen the club slip to 14th in the league table.

Despite their troubling Premier League position, Tottenham are currently fifth in the Champions League standings, with Frank’s side poised to automatically qualify for the last 16 phase.

Spurs make the trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in their final fixture in the league phase of Europe’s premier club competition, with the Bundesliga outfit languishing in 33rd place after losing five of their seven matches.