Tottenham could be without the services of two key defenders against Everton.
Spurs are desperate to register their first Premier League win of the season on Saturday when Everton visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest last weekend to pick up their first point of the season, after losing back-to-back games against Brentford and Newcastle United, respectively. Earlier this week, the Italian boss was dealt a big blow when news of Mykhailo Mudryk’s injury broke out.
Deadline day signing from Chelsea, Mudryk has already been ruled out for several weeks with an ankle injury sustained in training. Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that the Ukrainian international suffered a “stupid injury”, but welcomed back James Maddison to the fold after his recent shoulder problem.
Roberto De Zerbi reveals Tottenham full-backs doubtful for the Everton encounter
In addition to Mudryk’s injury, De Zerbi also cast doubts on the fitness of both of Spurs’ starting full-backs, saying both Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are doubts for Saturday’s crucial game against Everton with muscular issues.
“Pedro Porro felt a small muscular problem. We have to know tomorrow. We have to see tomorrow if he’s available or not. But, in this moment, I don’t want to take any risks. And the same with Udogie,” De Zerbi was quoted by the club’s live blog.
“But Pedro Porro and Udogie are similar players because one, Pedro played the World Cup, a long World Cup, and we already knew after the World Cup, it could be a difficult management for him. And for Udogie, last season he suffered many injuries, and he played 60 minutes against Nottingham Forest, and we have to manage Destiny in the best way we can.”
Roberto with a team news update ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Everton 🗣️
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Both Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are extremely crucial players for De Zerbi. The duo add so much value to the side, both defensively and going forward. While Porro is more creative of the two, thanks to his technical quality and crossing ability, Udogie can be described as a rampaging full-back with high work rate and engine.
Both are imperative to the Tottenham gaffer. Without them, the Lilywhites immediately lose players who can make a difference at both ends of the pitch. Porro is coming off the back of a gruelling summer in which he won the World Cup with Spain, and Udogie spent much of the last campaign on the sidelines with a combo of different injuries.
So, De Zerbi, the coaching staff and the medical department have the great responsibility of treating our starting full-backs cautiously. It will be a shame if both Porro and Udogie miss out against Everton, but it would not be worth risking them and losing them for weeks and months.