Neville has voiced concerns over Spurs’ midfield, which could prove to be more pertinent with Bissouma set to miss four matches after his second dismissal of the season.
He believes that while Bissouma and Pepe Matar Sarr have been impressive under Ange Postecoglou this year, there is a lack of strength in depth as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp are not up to the required standard.
“Huge,” Neville told Sky Sports when asked how important Sarr’s return to the team is. “I think the way in which Ange Postecoglou asks this team to play, Skipp is a good technical player, Hojberg is physical, but they both lack the other side of the game. Skipp can’t get around the pitch and Hojberg technically isn’t good.
“But this guy (Sarr) alongside Bissouma as well, they are just perfect for the way this team wants to play. They don’t win when he doesn’t play. They have the energy and the technical ability with the ball, they connect the back to front, they are brave and I have to say the most important thing for Spurs is that he has got to keep these players fit, but they do lose those two in January – that’s a big problem.”
Both Sarr and Bissouma are set to miss several matches in January as the pair will compete for Senegal and Mali respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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Both Skipp and Hojbjerg were introduced against Forest earlier than Postecoglou may have perhaps expected, as the Englishman was brought on in the first half after an injury to Brennan Johnson.
Hojbjerg was introduced after Bissouma was sent off. The former Brighton man may not return for Spurs until after the mid-season international tournament, forcing Spurs to rely on Hojbjerg and Skipp for an extended period.
This comes at a time when the club are already stretched at the back, with Ben Davies continuing to fill in for the injured Micky van de Ven alongside Cristian Romero.