Tottenham enter the new Premier League season with a familiar problem: injuries, and lots of them, for Roberto De Zerbi to navigate. Spurs defeated Hoffenheim in their last pre-season friendly in front of fans on Saturday, before a 2-2 draw with the same opponents behind closed doors at Hotspur Way on Sunday.
Pre-season positives
There were fears that new signing Mateus Fernandes, landed from West Ham for £85million, would not be fit to start the new campaign, but he played the full 90 minutes on Sunday alongside Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield. James Maddison, on the comeback trail from ACL surgery, was fielded as a false nine and played the first half. There were also appearances for Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Souza in defence, while Pape Matar Sarr was given a run out as the No10.
On Saturday, players with more pre-season under their belts featured, with Mathys Tel starring with two assists and Mikey Moore notching two goals before a proposed loan move away. £100m man Sandro Tonali came through the match unscathed, as did new defenders Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson.
Long-term absentees
Dutch playmaker Xavi Simons tore his ACL against Wolves in April and was ruled out for a year. He returned to speak to fans ahead of the Hoffenheim game on Saturday, but will not feature on the pitch again until at least January next year. Potential return date: January 2027.
Wilson Odobert is in the same boat, having suffered an ACL injury in February against Newcastle. He has been out for six months and is not expected back for another six. Last week he posted a photo on social media of his boots on, but he remains a long way off a comeback. Potential return date: January 2027.
Dejan Kulusevski has not played for the north Londoners for 15 months after a complex patella injury. The Swede had been eyeing a return with his country at the World Cup, but Graham Potter did not risk the forward's fitness. Fans were excited to see him partaking in shooting drills alongside Kudus, but he has not featured in any pre-season games. De Zerbi said: "Kulusevski [when he] is fit and right, he's one of the best players we have in the squad. We have to see in the next couple of weeks. I wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him to accelerate the process of rehab but I hope he can be available as early as possible. But after one season, one complete season, without games, we have to analyse better and better and don't take risks for sure." Potential return date: Late 2026.
Quad and ankle issues
Mohammed Kudus has been out with a tricky quad tendon injury suffered against Manchester City in January. He has not played since, but Spurs released social media clips of him striking balls and training with team-mates. He has not featured in pre-season, but it is hoped he will return this month or next. De Zerbi said on the club's tour of Australia a fortnight ago: "Kudus is very close, I think. When we come back to London, he will be available to start to work with us. It is a great thing for us because Kudus is another important player." Potential return date: August 26 vs Charlton (H).
Dominic Solanke was dogged by a recurring ankle problem last season and has played just two matches in pre-season. His last minutes came against Chelsea in Australia, and he did not feature in either match against Hoffenheim. On the tour, he said: "I feel good. It was a very tough year last year for me. I missed pretty much the majority of the season with injuries. I'm focused on staying fit this year and hopefully I can do that. I want to have a much better year this year. I'm feeling good and hopefully I can stay fit and have a great year." Potential return date: August 26 vs Charlton (H).
Defensive concerns
There are concerns over Micky van de Ven's fitness after the central defender's absence from all pre-season friendlies. He arrived late from World Cup duty with the Netherlands but missed games against Getafe and Hoffenheim. He did not train with team-mates on the tour, and was not pictured in training gear when players welcomed World Cup winner Pedro Porro back to Hotspur Way. De Zerbi said after the win over Sydney FC: "Danso, Van de Ven, Solanke, JP van Hecke... were not yet ready to play without risk. Maybe some of them can play the next game against Chelsea, maybe not [from] the beginning." Van de Ven did not play against Chelsea and continues to be out. Potential return date: August 22 vs Brentford (A).
Destiny Udogie has also not featured at all in pre-season. The left-back has been plagued by injury in his entire Spurs career, and his manager revealed he had suffered a minor niggle in the lead-up to the friendlies. He has since not played a single minute, with no video evidence of him training. Potential return date: August 26 vs Charlton (A).
