Thomas Frank insists Tottenham are 'CURSED' as under-pressure manager blames their growing injury crisis on bad luck after Lucas Bergvall setback

Thomas Frank said it feels like Tottenham are 'cursed' as he confirmed Lucas Bergvall as the fifth player ruled out with a serious injury in the last five games.

Bergvall faces an absence of up to three months after twisting an ankle in a tackle during Tuesday's fine Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund .

'It seems like we are cursed or something like that,' said the Spurs boss, still fighting to keep his job after miserable run of results compounded by this month's injury crisis.

Mohamed Kudus damaged a thigh muscle against Sunderland and will be out until April. Rodrigo Bentancur has had surgery to repair a hamstring injured at Bournemouth requiring surgery and is out for three months.

Richarlison suffered a hamstring injury against Aston Villa in the FA Cup and is not expected back until March. Ben Davies is unlikely to play again this season after breaking an ankle against West Ham on Saturday in a tackle by Jarrod Bowen which Frank claimed should have been a red card.

Spurs will not put a precise time scale on Bergvall's absence until further assessment but fear he will be missing for two to three months, which also rules him out of Sweden's World Cup play-offs in March.

Thomas Frank has bemoaned Tottenham's injury luck with Lucas Bergvall the latest hurt player

Lucas Bergvall (centre) is out for up to three months after twisting an ankle against Dortmund

'Injuries are a part of football,' said Frank but he added: 'There's been a lot of contact injuries and some of them are like, 'OK, what's happening here?' Bergvall, how unlucky is that? Dominic Solanke miskicked a ball in preseason game!'

Solanke started his first game of the season against Dortmund on Tuesday. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have missed the entire season so far with knee injuries. Kulusevski, initially expected back in December, is still weeks away from a return.

Spurs were beset by a glut of soft tissue injuries for two years under Ange Postecoglou from and launched an internal investigation which led to wholesale changes in the medical department in the summer of 2024.

Frank claimed there were signs the injury record was improving, citing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven as positive examples, and Richarlison, until his injury this month.

'Richarlison has played 12 90-minute games,' said the Spurs boss. 'He hasn't done that for I don't know how many years, so that's a big upgrade. Micky and Cuti, big upgrades.

'Others are in a very good place but then there's others where we've been a little bit unlucky with how we get the injuries.

'There's a lot of moving parts in it. There's something in the match schedule and the amount of games. We are not the only club struggling with injuries at all.

'Many clubs have that, especially if you play European football and especially if you play Champions League . I think that's a big part of that. The load is just so big. The medical and performance department overall are very happy with the progress they have made.'

Dominic Solanke made his first start in Tuesday's win over Dortmund after a long hiatus

Solanke, Destiny Udogie and Xavi Simons all came through the Dortmund game unscathed despite fitness fears. Joao Palhinha, who has missed the last two games, is close to a return but might not be ready for Burnley on Saturday.

Pape Matar Sarr is back from international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Frank, meanwhile, issued a hands-off warning to those eyeing a summer raid on Van de Ven, with Liverpool thought to be among those clubs keen on the Dutch centre half who is under contract until 2029.

'Micky is an excellent player and a fantastic ambassador for this club,' said Frank on Thursday. 'I just saw him, and he seemed very happy, smiling. He was happy after the game that we won when he was in the changing room after the game.

'He has potentially his best season so far he's had. He's fit, he's strong, good defensively. He's growing as a leader, scoring goals as well. He's a very important player for us this season and for the future.'