Tottenham dealt fresh injury blow as Mykhailo Mudryk faces up to two months out with ankle problem

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered an early setback to their attacking options after Mykhailo Mudryk sustained an ankle injury in training that is expected to sideline him for up to two months. The setback comes only four days after the winger made his first competitive appearance in almost two years, dealing a significant blow to manager Roberto De Zerbi’s plans.

Mudryk, who joined Spurs on a season-long loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day, was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute during the goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. That brief outing marked his return to Premier League football following a doping ban that had been imposed in November 2024. De Zerbi had already indicated that the Ukraine international would require time to regain full match sharpness after such a lengthy absence. Instead of building gradually on his debut, the 24-year-old has now been forced onto the treatment table.

The timing of the injury compounds existing problems in Tottenham’s forward areas. De Zerbi left Richarlison out of his Premier League squad after the Brazilian forward requested a move away from the club during the summer transfer window. When Mudryk arrived, young winger Mikey Moore was allowed to join Cologne on loan, further thinning the ranks of wide attackers available to the head coach.

Longer-term absences continue to restrict De Zerbi’s choices. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are both recovering from serious knee injuries and neither is expected to return before the end of the year. Their continued unavailability leaves the manager with limited natural width and creativity in the final third. Progress is at least being made with Dejan Kulusevski, who has been out for more than twelve months with a knee problem. Sweden head coach Graham Potter recently described the midfielder as “very close” to a return, offering Tottenham some encouragement that one experienced attacker may soon become available again.

James Maddison’s situation provides less immediate relief. The playmaker has not started a match since before Kulusevski’s injury lay-off and is himself working his way back from a serious knee issue. Any hopes of a swift reintegration were dented when Maddison suffered a shoulder injury after coming off the bench against Brentford on the opening weekend of the season. His recovery timeline therefore remains uncertain and he cannot be relied upon in the short term.

Against this backdrop of absences, Tottenham’s attacking options for the forthcoming home fixture against Everton appear restricted. De Zerbi is likely to select from a group that includes Dominic Solanke, Omar Marmoush, Mathys Tel, Savinho and Mohamed Kudus. While that list contains recognised talent, it lacks the specific profile Mudryk was expected to provide on the flanks and reduces the manager’s ability to rotate or change the team’s shape during matches.

Mudryk’s loan move had been viewed as an opportunity for the player to revive his career after the disruption of the doping suspension and a difficult period at Chelsea. For Tottenham the signing represented a low-risk addition of pace and directness at a time when several established attackers were unavailable. The early ankle injury disrupts those plans on both sides. Spurs must now manage without a player they had only just introduced to the squad, while Mudryk faces another period of rehabilitation before he can begin to establish himself at his temporary club.

De Zerbi’s public comments before the injury had struck a cautious note, emphasising the need for patience as Mudryk rebuilt match fitness. That measured approach has been overtaken by events. The manager must now navigate the coming weeks with an even narrower group of forward players, balancing the need for results against the risk of overloading those who remain available. The presence of Solanke as a focal point, together with the versatility of players such as Kudus and Tel, offers some tactical flexibility, yet the absence of Mudryk removes one of the few wide options capable of stretching opposing defences.

The broader injury list at Tottenham underlines the challenge facing De Zerbi in his early months at the club. With Simons and Odobert ruled out for the remainder of the calendar year, Kulusevski still working towards full fitness, Maddison managing a separate shoulder problem and Mudryk now facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines, the head coach has been deprived of significant creativity and depth. The decision to sanction Moore’s loan departure and to omit Richarlison from the Premier League squad has left the group looking short in precisely the areas the new signing was intended to reinforce.

For the time being Tottenham must adapt. The goalless draw at Nottingham Forest provided a first glimpse of Mudryk in a Spurs shirt, but it may be November before he is able to build on that cameo. In the interim De Zerbi will rely on the forwards who are fit and available, while the medical staff focus on returning the injured contingent as efficiently as possible. The ankle injury is a disappointment rather than a disaster, yet in a squad already stretched by long-term absences it represents another complication at a stage of the season when momentum and continuity are particularly valuable.

Supporters will hope that Kulusevski’s expected return can offset some of the lost creativity and that Mudryk’s recovery proceeds without further setbacks. Until then the onus remains on the players currently at De Zerbi’s disposal to deliver results. The loan signing from Chelsea was meant to ease the burden on a depleted attacking unit. Instead, Tottenham find themselves confronting the same shortage of options with one fewer solution available.