ALBION boss Chris Hughton has been left without a natural No.10 by an injury to Pascal Gross.

An ankle problem sustained by the influential German in the last home game against Fulham ruled him out of Monday night’s 2-2 comeback draw at Southampton.

It was the first time Gross has been missing from the matchday squad since his arrival from Ingolstadt 16 months ago and it is unclear how many fixtures he will miss.

Manager Chris Hughton told The Argus: “He’s okay. He got a kick in the last game which has ended up a little bit more troublesome than we thought.

“It’s certainly nothing that is going to be longer term.

“We’ll look at what progress he makes over the next week but certainly it’s not one that is going to keep him out for a number of games.”

Hughton does not have a like-for-like replacement for craftsman Gross, although Yves Bissouma could be pushed further forward.

The Mali international has formed a three-man midfield with Dale Stephens and Davy Propper in the last two away games at Southampton and Liverpool.

Florin Andone is another option if Hughton wants to stick to his tried and trusted 4-4-1-1 system.

Saturday’s clash against Spurs at the Amex (5.30pm) is likely to come too soon in the Romanian striker’s recovery from groin and thigh injuries for him to be regarded as a possible starter.

Andone had a 45-minute outing in the under-23s last week.

They have another match against Everton at the Lancing training complex tomorrow night (7pm).

Hughton said: “It’s just managing him the best way we can. He’s a had couple of little difficulties (groin and thigh). He’s done a fair bit of training of late. We just need to make sure he’s up to speed before his involvement.

“We’ll make a decision (under-23s) or whether we think it’s too soon to involve him at the weekend.”

Albion are also weighing up whether Jose Izquierdo makes his comeback by playing in part of tomorrow night’s under-23s game.

The left-winger has yet to feature since returning from the World Cup with Colombia with a knee issue.