Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that Destiny Udogie's injuries are becoming a problem and revealed that Tottenham made a mistake rushing Pedro Porro back before he suffered a hamstring injury.
Udogie is set to return after missing the last two games with a knee injury, while Porro was included in a matchday squad for the first time since September, when Spurs beat Chelsea 2-0 last weekend.
Full-back pairing struggles
De Zerbi has been unable to consistently call upon his first-choice full-back pairing this season, with Porro and Udogie starting together just once in all competitions.
Udogie's chronic fitness issues have seen him miss 46 games for club and country since joining Spurs from Udinese ahead of the 2023/24 season. Spurs have been cautious with Udogie this season given his injury history, and he will be fit to face Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.
De Zerbi has been left frustrated by his lack of availability and has bemoaned the fact that he missed two weeks of training with the knee issue he sustained during Spurs' 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
"Yes, he is available, but is another problematic player in terms of injuries now because he can't work consistently during the weeks," he said. "After United, he didn't work with us, with the group, for a long time, and this season is different the situation because we have a great medical staff, and we are taking the right decision for each player in the right moment and in the right situation."
Porro's different situation
Porro's situation is different. The Spain international has been a mainstay of Spurs' team since arriving from Sporting, initially on loan, in 2022 and has missed just seven games through injury in four years. Five of those games have come this season, though, after Porro picked up a hamstring injury against Aston Villa before the September international break.
Porro had originally complained of hamstring pain during Spain's run to the World Cup over the summer, so Spurs had been cautious not to throw him straight into the starting lineup at the start of the season. They took a risk, with Porro keen to push through the pain barrier, by starting him against Villa and ultimately paid the price when he had to be withdrawn after 19 minutes.
Porro is back fit now, but after a month on the sidelines, De Zerbi admits he and the medical team made a mistake by rushing him back to fitness.
"Maybe we made some mistake with Pedro, with Aston Villa, but not medical staff, it was together, me too and my staff, but it's part of the job."
