Tottenham to assess Yves Bissouma on AFCON return after playing through malaria

Mali coach Eric Chelle revealed after Ivory Coast defeat that the Spurs midfielder tested positive for the disease during the tournament
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP5 February 2024

Yves Bissouma will return to Tottenham this week after Mali's coach revealed that he had played with malaria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bissouma is expected to report back at Hotspur Way in the next 48 hours when he will undergo a routine assessment for all players returning from international duty.

The midfielder is understood to have been suffering from malaria during the tournament in Ivory Coast but is now thought to be free of the disease.

Bissouma came off the bench for Mali as they were beaten 2-1 by the hosts after extra time in Saturday's quarter-final tie.

Yves Bissouma made four appearances during Mali's run to the AFCON quarter-finals
AFP via Getty Images

He was an unused substitute in the last-16 win over Burkina Faso, and started two of their three group games.

After the defeat by Ivory Coast, Mali coach Eric Chelle confirmed that both Bissouma and team-mate Moussa Diarra of Toulouse had tested positive for malaria while at the tournament.

If he is deemed fit, Bissouma will be available for Tottenham's home game against his former club Brighton on Saturday after serving a four-match ban picked up before the AFCON.

The 27-year-old was shown a straight red card in the win over Nottingham Forest in December, his second dismissal of the season.

He served the final game of his suspension in the FA Cup third-round tie against Burnley on January 5, despite having already joined up with the Mali squad.

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