Tottenham's extended international break offered a welcome distraction from their poor start to the season, but it also brought fresh injury concerns. The club sit bottom of the Premier League without a win from their first five league games, increasing pressure on manager Roberto De Zerbi, who hopes his players returned re-energised.
International duty and fitness focus
Fourteen first-team players were away on international duty, including England U19 international Luca Williams-Barnett, recently named in De Zerbi's first-team squad. Those not called up or who withdrew through injury were given a week off before returning to training at Hotspur Way.
De Zerbi has criticised his side's fitness this season, so he likely used the break to build physical robustness ahead of a crucial run of fixtures. However, he faces an anxious wait to see the condition of Spurs' internationals as they return to England this week.
Winners from the break
Antonin Kinsky made his senior international debut for the Czech Republic in a 3-1 loss to Spain, an important milestone for the 23-year-old. Andy Robertson earned his 100th cap for Scotland, captaining the side to a 2-0 win over North Macedonia and closing in on Kenny Dalglish's all-time record of 102 caps.
Mathys Tel scored a hat-trick as France U21s beat Switzerland 7-1, taking his break tally to five goals, and came off the bench to score the winner in a 3-2 victory over Luxembourg that sealed European Under-21 Championship qualification. Luca Williams-Barnett starred for England's U19s, scoring in back-to-back games against Norway and the USA, earning plaudits for a long-range goal against Norway.
Omar Marmoush scored a brace as Egypt beat South Sudan 5-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, with De Zerbi hoping the goals provide a confidence boost. Mateus Fernandes captained Portugal's U21s to qualification, assisting in a 4-0 win over Gibraltar. Mohammed Kudus, despite turning down a Ghana call-up, is arguably the biggest winner after focusing on rehabilitation from a quad injury rather than risking a setback.
Yang Min-hyeok grabbed the winning assist as South Korea won Asian Games gold against Japan, though he later apologised for post-match comments.
Losers and injury concerns
Micky van de Ven will be assessed ahead of Saturday's trip to Manchester United after his hand was stepped on late in the Netherlands' 2-1 win over Serbia. The captain is expected to be fit, but the innocuous injury adds to De Zerbi's selection headaches.
Jan Paul van Hecke returned to Spurs early after a foot injury in the Netherlands' first game against Serbia. He completed 90 minutes but the issue flared up in training the next day. It is unclear how severe the injury is and whether he will face United this weekend.
