Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison has been seen limping out of the stadium after Spurs' pre-season friendly against Newcastle United on Sunday.
The 28-year-old was stretchered off following a seemingly innocuous-looking challenge to win the ball. Maddison instantly realised something was wrong, hopping on one foot and clutching his head before collapsing to the ground and signalling for the physio.
There was palpable concern all around as the Spurs playmaker was visibly in pain, with his close friend Son Heung-min appearing particularly distressed from the dugout. The stretcher was summoned and Maddison was carefully loaded onto it, his hands still covering his face as he was carried off the pitch.
The England international has since been pictured on crutches as he limped through the mixed zone following the fixture against Eddie Howe's side. football.london's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold wrote on X: "[Maddison] understandably looked devastated with his hood pulled down low. Thomas Frank said it was the same knee as before and thinks it's a bad one."
Maddison has only just returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss the remainder of last season. The midfielder suffered a season-ending problem, which has meant that his recovery has carried on into pre-season.
Spurs boss Thomas Frank has since confirmed that Maddison's latest injury looks to be the same knee.
"We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before," the Dane said post-match. "I think sometimes in life and football things can be both beautiful and brutal.
"That's what we got today. It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players."
Maddison now looks set for another spell on the sidelines ahead of the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain on August 13 and Tottenham's Premier League opener against Burnley three days later.