Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, hopes to have Emmanuel Adebayor back before Christmas after the Togolese striker was given compassionate leave to return home in Ghana to sort out personal problems which is believed to be connected to his mother.
The Togo international, who spends most of his time in Ghana where he has a home, has arrived to Accra find solutions to the problems with his extended family that have engulfed him over the past three weeks.
It is believed that a member of Adebayor’s family has been taken seriously ill after he publicly hit back at his mother who claims he has neglected her.
Adebayor will not play in Spurs’ Europa League Group C game against Besiktas in Istanbul tonight.
The striker, who has only scored twice in 12 appearances this season, said recently he felt cursed following his poor form this season – with him blaming his mother for putting a spell on him after the pair had a fall-out.
The former Arsenal striker has been out of action since the home defeat to Stoke, which prompted him to lash out at the home fans for the atmosphere.
Pochettino said last week Adebayor was still suffering from a back problem and now today he has offered a brief comment on his player’s latest absence and at the pre-match press conference Pochettino expressed his desire for a swift return.
“I hope he sorts his problems,†he said. “I don’t know how long he will be out for but we hope he will stay with us next week to train.â€
Pochettino added: “I have always told you that players are human. It is important to fix this type of problem because always family is important.â€
The Argentine confirmed the player goes with the club’s support and says he hopes he returns soon – adding to the mystery of the situation.