Tottenham Hotspur's Bryan Gil undergoes surgery on groin injury

The former Sevilla man is yet to ignite his Lilywhites career since joining the club in 2021 and spent the second half of last season back on loan with Los Palanganas.

Gil helped Sevilla win a record-extending seventh Europa League crown last term before returning to Hotspur Way, but his long-term future has been called into question.

Manor Solomon and James Maddison have both reinforced the Tottenham attack this summer, while Dejan Kulusevski's Juventus loan was turned into a permanent deal.

Since his short-term return to Sevilla came to an end, Gil has not played a single pre-season game for Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, having been ruled out of their Asia-Pacific tour with a back injury.

However, reports emerged earlier this week claiming that the 22-year-old had to go under the knife to correct a groin injury, and Spurs have now confirmed the attacker's procedure.

It is currently unclear how long Gil will be sidelined for, but the Spaniard is expected to miss the start of the new campaign, and a report from Marca claims that he will be out for approximately two months.

"We can confirm that Bryan Gil has undergone surgery to resolve an issue in his groin," Tottenham Hotspur said in a statement.

"Bryan, who spent the second part of last season on loan at Sevilla, will be closely monitored by our medical team to determine when he can return to training."

Gil's operation is another setback in his efforts to make a name for himself in North London, having registered just two assists in 31 appearances since his €25m (£21.5m) move from Sevilla two years ago.

Gil was loaned out to Valencia for the second half of the 2021-22 season, and his most recent game in a Tottenham jersey came off the bench in an FA Cup win over Preston North End in January.

However, the winger was a regular for Sevilla during his recent loan spell, scoring twice and setting up three more goals in 24 appearances and being named in the starting lineup in the Europa League final.

Gil becomes the second Spurs player to undergo surgery this summer after Ryan Sessegnon's hamstring was operated on back in July, while Rodrigo Bentancur is still on the road to recovery from his ACL injury.

Yves Bissouma was also a little worse for wear after a 5-1 win over Lion City Sailors last week, but Postecoglou does not believe that the Mali international has sustained a serious issue.

Spurs host Shakhtar Donetsk in a charity friendly on Sunday before meeting Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 8, which marks their final warm-up fixture ahead of their Premier League opener away to London rivals Brentford on August 13.