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Rob Guest

Romero Argentina absence, Richarlison goals and Gil assist - Tottenham international roundup

It proved to be a rather mixed time for the Tottenham players involved in the first round of September's international fixtures. Seeing a host of stars jet off across the globe following last Saturday's 6-2 triumph over Leicester City, Antonio Conte has been left with only a handful of players at the club's training base to work with ahead of the North London Derby at Arsenal.

With the vast majority of Spurs' internationals remaining in Europe for UEFA Nations League games, others have headed off to Asia, Africa and North America. So how exactly did they get on playing for their respective countries? football.london takes a look.

Harry Kane and Eric Dier

Dier made his international return on Friday evening as England travelled to the San Siro to face Italy in the UEFA Nations League. It was a game to forget for the Three Lions as Roberto Mancini's team secured a 1-0 win courtesy of Giacomo Raspadori's goal in the 68th minute.

READ MORE: Djed Spence sends Tottenham message with display as Destiny Udogie shows fans what to expect

Dier played the full 90 minutes of the contest in the middle of the back three, with Tottenham teammate Kane also on for the entirety of the defeat. The England captain was left with blood pouring from his mouth after a collision with Rafael Toloi early in the second half but he did manage to carry on after medical attention.

The Mirror gave Dier a score of seven out of 10 for his showing in Milan, with Kane also receiving a seven for his efforts.

Son Heung-min

Fresh from scoring a hat-trick against Leicester City prior to the international break, Son was on the scoresheet once again as he netted a late equaliser in South Korea's 2-2 draw with Costa Rica. Trailing 2-1 heading into the final five minutes of the friendly, the attacker found the top corner with a stunning free-kick from the edge of the area.

His third goal for his country from a direct free-kick since the end of last season, the 30-year-old has strengthened his case to take them on a regular basis for Spurs.

Richarlison

Another player on the scoresheet on Friday was Richarlison. Taking on Ghana in a friendly in La Havre, France, Tottenham's No.9 was on the scoresheet twice in the 3-0 win.

Following Marquinhos' early opener, Richarlison's first of the game came from a brilliant first-time finish from outside the box as he swept the ball into the bottom corner from Neymar's pass. The pair then combined again prior to half-time as the £60million man emphatically headed his teammate's free-kick into the net to give Joe Wollacott no chance in goal.

Rodrigo Bentancur

Tottenham midfielder Bentancur was on the losing side on Friday with Uruguay suffering a 1-0 defeat against Iran in Austria. The January signing played 85 minutes of the contest and picked up a booking during his time on the pitch.

Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso

Romero was absent for Argentina on Friday night as they warmed up for the World Cup with a 3-0 win over Honduras in Miami. According to Argentine sports channel TyC Sports, the Tottenham defender was unable to get a visa from the US Embassy in England due to delays following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, thus meaning he was unable to join up with his international teammates in the United States.

Lisandro Martinez was also in the same boat, with both initially travelling to the national team's base in their home country to train with the U17s while the paperwork was processed. While the Manchester United man's visa was sorted fairly quickly, Romero's took a lot longer and it meant he was unable to be in the squad for the game against Honduras.

The situation did not sit well with Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni, who opened up on the "problem" when speaking to the media ahead of the Honduras match.

"Cuti Romero's situation bothers me. He's stuck in Argentina and can't travel. It's a problem, it's the last date to get together and he can't be there yet," said the former West Ham man (via TyC Sports). "I haven't been able to talk to Lisandro (Martínez) yet, but if he's fit he'll play."

Not that it has gone through, he will now join his teammates in the States and train with them ahead of their friendly against Jamaica. Giovani Lo Celso, who is now on loan with Villarreal, played in the win over Honduras and was replaced after 72 minutes.

Yves Bissouma

Bissouma got some more minutes under his belt for Mali but he wasn't named in the starting XI for their 1-0 win over Zambia as he came off the bench in the 63rd minute. Both teams will face each other once again on Monday evening.

Bryan Gil

After not featuring for Tottenham in their first nine games of the 2022/23 campaign, Gil got some much-needed minutes for Spain U21s in their 4-1 win over Romania U21s. The Spurs winger was substituted off early in the second half but he did manage to get an assist to his name as he teed up Abel Ruiz.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Hojbjerg got another 90 minutes in the tank after playing for Denmark in their 2-1 defeat away at Croatia in the UEFA Nations League. A home match against France on Sunday evening is next up for the Danes.

Ivan Perisic

Perisic did go head-to-head with Spurs teammate Hojbjerg during the match in Zagreb. However, he had to come off with a knock in the 71st minute following a coming together with Tottenham's No.5.

It looked fairly innocuous as Hojbjerg produced a bit of excellent defending to get his body in the way and come away with the ball. All eyes will now be on Perisic to see if he plays for Croatia away at Austria on Sunday.

Joe Rodon

Rodon has enjoyed a strong start to the 2022/23 campaign after featuring regularly for French side Rennes following his Tottenham loan exit. Playing for Wales on Thursday night against Belgium in Brussels, he played the full game in the 2-1 defeat.

WalesOnline gave him a rating of five for his performance, stating: "Anchoring the backline, he backed off too much with the hosts' opener. Rose well with a header for Wales' best chance of the first half. Will be disappointed with the second, too."

Ryan Sessegnon, Oliver Skipp and Djed Spence

Thursday also saw a host of Tottenham players in action for England U21s. Ryan Sessegnon started at left wing-back, with Djed Spence on the opposite flank and Oliver Skipp in the middle of the park.

Spence delivered an eye-catching performance down England's right, getting forward regularly and causing Italy plenty of issues with his pace and attacking play. Skipp, who like the right wing-back was in need of playing time, also impressed as he dominated much of the midfield play.

The trio were on the pitch for 72 minutes as boss Lee Carsley made a total of seven alterations for the final 18 minutes of the contest. England U21s host Germany U21s on Tuesday evening at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane.

Destiny Udogie

The match in Pescara also saw Tottenham's three U21 players come face-to-face with new signing Udogie for the first time. The Udinese ace started the game on the bench but was introduced at the start of the second half.

Excelling for the Italian club this term, the 19-year-old was one of the best players on the pitch for the hosts after his introduction as he always called for the ball and took the game to his opponents when in possession.

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