Porro, Van de Ven & Kulusevski: Latest Tottenham injury news and expected return dates ahead of Man City clashplaceholder image
Porro, Van de Ven & Kulusevski: Latest Tottenham injury news and expected return dates ahead of Man City clash | Getty Images
The latest Spurs injury news and return dates - including updates on Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro.
Tottenham Hotspur may have made impressively light work of qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League thanks to their midweek victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, but a cloud was cast over that win by the absence of both Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, who became the club’s latest injury victims.
The pair missed that match and Thomas Frank could now be forced to make do without as many as nine first-team players for a challenging Premier League match against Manchester City this weekend – including Dejan Kulusevski, whose delayed return from an ACL injury has been the source of much speculation and concern.
With the weekend fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest Spurs injury news below along with the many absent players’ expected return dates when available.
How long will Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro be out for Spurs?
The good news for Spurs is that Micky van de Ven’s enforced withdrawal from Wednesday’s matchday squad was not due to a long-term issue – while the exact nature of the injury has not been revealed by the club, Frank described it as a “minor thing,” adding that it “is possible” that he will feature this weekend against Manchester City.
The bad news is that Pedro Porro’s injury is rather more serious. The Portuguese full-back was withdrawn at half-time during the 2-2 draw with Burnley last weekend and Frank has now revealed that a hamstring injury was the cause.
Porro will be out for “three or four weeks,” according to Frank, suggesting that he will miss at least three matches and may well be unable to participate in the second North London Derby of the season, which takes place on 22 February.
The only defensive absentee as it stands is veteran Ben Davies, who has undergone surgery on an ankle injury and is expected to be out until April, with a more precise date not yet available.
When will Dejan Kulusevski be back – and who else will miss out against Manchester City?
Among Spurs’ many other injuries, the greatest source of uncertainty is the timeline for the return of Dejan Kulusevski, who has been absent since May following a cruciate ligament injury.
Initially expected to return over the festive period, the Swede suffered a setback and has yet to return to training. Frank has been cautious with his comments about Kulusevski’s return date but did suggest earlier in January that he would be back in light training around the end of the month. Adding that it was a “complicated injury” that “we have not seen that much in football history,” it remains unclear precisely when the 25-year-old might play again, but there is hope that his long absence may come to an end soon.
Elsewhere, forward Richarlison is expected to be sidelined for around another three weeks thanks to a hamstring issue, which also makes him a doubt for the next North London Derby, while other long-term absentees include Lucas Bergvall (ankle) and summer signing Mohammed Kudus (thigh) both of whom are expected back in April.
Both James Maddison (ACL) and Rodrigo Bentancur (hamstring) are at risk of being sidelined for the rest of the season due to serious injuries.
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