Yves Bissouma’s first appearance of the season lasted just six minutes after he was forced off with injury.
The 29-year-old came on in the 66th minute of Mali’s World Cup qualifier against Madagascar at the Stade Modibo Keita.
But it soon ended in heartbreak for the Tottenham Hotspur outcast.
How did Bissouma get injured?
Seconds after he entered the contest, Bissouma was hacked down by Madagascar’s Arnaud Randrianantenaina having intercepted a loose pass and looked to break away from his own box.
Bissouma immediately clutched his left leg and slammed his fist on the turf in frustration.
Mali’s medical staff quickly made their way out to Bissouma who remained on the pitch in agony.
The Tottenham midfielder was soon stretchered off the field six minutes after the incident, which Randrianantenaina avoided further punishment for.
Mali went on to win the contest 4-1, but Spurs boss Thomas Frank now awaits a full diagnosis on the extent of Bissouma’s latest injury.
Why hasn’t Bissouma played for Tottenham this season?
Bissouma was called up by Mali having recovered from a knee issue which had kept him sidelined for the start of the season with Tottenham.
The knee injury spoiled Bissouma’s hopes of a move away from north London in the summer having looked poised to join Turkish giants Galatasaray.
Instead, Tottenham could lose the Mali international for free given his contract expires at the end of the season.
It had been a turbulent summer for Bissouma at Tottenham as he was left out of the squad to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup in August as a result of poor timekeeping.
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Speaking prior to the match, Tottenham boss Thomas Frank revealed Bissouma did not make the journey to Italy for the fixture ‘for disciplinary reasons.’
“He’s been late several times and now this time was just one too many,” Frank said.
“With everything you need to give your players a lot of love and there needs to be demands and consequences.”
Could Bissouma still play for Tottenham again?
Frank left the door open for the midfielder to work his way back to a more prominent role after the transfer window had closed, despite Bissouma’s ill-discipline.
“There are no hard feelings at all,” the Danish boss said.
“Not before, not now, not at all. Train well and everyone has an opportunity.
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“He (Bissouma) has just started to run outside, so he is not part of the group but everything I’ve seen when I’ve said hello to him and every day with the players, he seems good.”
Should Bissouma fail to earn his place in Frank’s good books, it could mean he leaves Spurs with his final appearance coming in last season’s Europa League final, which ended in a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Bissouma played the full 90 minutes against the Red Devils and put in a major shift as he made four tackles, the second-most of any Tottenham player in the final.
His 23 passes were also the most made by an outfield player for Spurs, underlining his all-action display that helped the north London side win their first major trophy in 17 years.