Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi said James Maddison can play an important role in the relegation run-in but was unsure if he could feature against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Maddison, 29, has missed the entirety of the season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in a friendly against Newcastle United on last summer’s pre-season tour to South Korea. He last featured for Spurs in a competitive match a year ago today, scoring in the 3-1 Europa League semi-final first-leg win against Bodo/Glimt.
De Zerbi named Maddison in his matchday squad for the 2-2 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion and last week’s 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, citing his “important” influence in the dressing room. On Friday, the Italian said he does not know whether he will be fit enough to feature against Villa this weekend or in the following league match against Leeds United.
“I don’t know,” De Zerbi replied when asked during a press conference whether Maddison could play against Villa or Leeds. “I would like to play with him, because he is a special player, a different player. But we have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things. But I think he can be important in the next three games.”
There is an increased need for creativity in the team, with Xavi Simons rupturing the ACL in his right knee against Wolves on Saturday, the third time Tottenham have had a forward player ruled out with an ACL injury in the last 12 months, following Maddison and Wilson Odobert in February.
Simons joins Dejan Kulusevski — who has missed the whole season with a patella injury — and Mohammed Kudus on the treatment table, with the Ghana international in a race to prove his fitness to represent Ghana at the World Cup. There is also no timeline yet for Dominic Solanke’s return, after the England international was replaced in the 40th minute of last weekend’s win due to a muscle injury.
Tottenham’s medical department has come under fire from fans on social media when videos circulated of Simons conducting fitness tests on the sidelines after receiving immediate treatment for his long-term injury. According to an expert, these tests are not entirely uncommon when treating a player. But De Zerbi said his focus is on keeping everyone together.
“I think we win together and we lose together,” De Zerbi said. “And it’s not the right time to make polemic or to give responsibilities. Every one of us has to feel the responsibility for a big club, but now we have to stay together, close with just one target on our head, and to move on forward together.”
Destiny Udogie is available after missing the Wolves game with a muscle injury, as is Pape Matar Sarr, who was absent from successive matchday squads with a shoulder issue. Guglielmo Vicario, however, is not yet fit enough to make the squad after undergoing hernia surgery over the March international break.
Despite Simons representing another injury setback, De Zerbi maintains the “most important challenge now is to silence the (negative) voice inside of us”.
“The voice says we are unlucky,” De Zerbi added. “We have too many injuries. We lost Xavi Simons, and he was, in the last two games, one of the best and most important players for us. Our medical staff is not good enough. The pitch of the stadium is not good. The pitch of the turning ground is not good.
“It’s impossible to win two, three games in a row because we have not won too many games in 2026. It’s all negative things, and it’s rubbish. I want to keep my focus on ourselves, on the qualities of my players.”
Spurs face Villa on Sunday, who are fifth in the Premier League and played in the Europa League semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest on Thursday, losing 1-0.