New Tottenham winger Mykhailo Mudryk has suffered an ankle injury that will keep the Chelsea loanee on the sidelines. Mudryk reunited with former Shakhtar boss Roberto De Zerbi in a cross-London move, having sealed a temporary move on transfer deadline day.
He made his first appearance since returning from a 20-month ban for producing an "adverse finding" for a prohibited substance, which was overturned. Mudryk entered the fray from the bench in Spurs' 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest in the second half, but will have to wait for his full debut.
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Football.london claim that Mudryk will be unavailable until after the international break, ruling him out of this weekend's fixture against Everton, alongside the Carabao Cup tie with Liverpool and the following league match with Aston Villa.
It represents a setback for De Zerbi and Mudryk, who is attempting to rebuild his career following a challenging period both on and off the field.
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The Ukraine international joined Chelsea at the beginning of 2023 for £89m, but has found life difficult at Stamford Bridge, netting just 10 goals in 73 outings.
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Following his Spurs debut, De Zerbi acknowledged that Mudryk will require time to demonstrate his capabilities after making his first appearance in nearly two years. Mudryk, whose most recent outing came in November 2024, replaced Mathys Tel during the City Ground draw, though De Zerbi remains prepared to exercise patience.
"He's not ready yet. He's working to reach the best physical condition," the Italian head coach said. "He needs time, he needs work.
"In that position, we have Mathys Tel, big potential. But also Mathys takes too many wrong decisions, and Mudryk. So, two big players, two big potential players."
Following his move to Spurs, an injury specialist suggested that Mudryk might encounter obstacles upon returning to competitive football - but has supported his prospects of reaching match sharpness more rapidly than a sidelined player would.
Founder of Premier Injuries website Ben Dinnery told PA: "He hasn't been playing within an elite professional environment, but that's not to say he hasn't had some kind of exposure to game play in that time.
"Mudryk should be better placed because he hasn't been inhibited by any injury setback, it is more around the rules and regulations and governance of the game which hasn't allowed him to perform at peak level and at the top level.
"He did have the ability to undertake alternative ways to maintain fitness and focus.
"That transition from working in isolation and on an individual programme, to then into team training and then finally crossing the white line into a highly competitive and intense environment of the Premier League, rarely are you going to move across and it go smoothly.
"It is rare you have a straight line from A to B and there will be setbacks and bumps along the road, particularly when you're talking about a player like Mudryk who is highly explosive with dynamic movements.
"So, yes, he should (get up to speed quickly), but am I expecting that seamless transition into first-team and optimum levels of performance on a consistent basis? Absolutely not.