old handed potential lifeline as James Maddison suffers serious knee injury in Newcastle friendly

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a potentially devastating injury blow ahead of the new season, as James Maddison appeared to sustain a severe knee problem in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in South Korea.

The Lilywhites and the Magpies played out a low-key stalemate at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Son Heung-min's final appearance for the club ahead of his transfer to Los Angeles FC in MLS.

Son was given a guard of honour by both Tottenham and Newcastle players as he made his way off the pitch in the second half, while Maddison was applauding from the sidelines before being brought on himself.

However, just 11 minutes after his introduction, Maddison pulled up after appearing to awkwardly jar his knee in the turf, immediately signalling to the bench before dropping to the turf in agony.

The 28-year-old clutched his right knee and hid his face in his hands as teammates and medical stuff rushed to his aid, while Son sported a concerned look on the sidelines.

Maddison stretchered off with knee injury in Tottenham friendly

Maddison was eventually carried off on a stretcher to be replaced by Yang Min-hyeok, sparking immediate fears about a potential long-term problem for the former Leicester City playmaker.

Maddison missed the final few weeks of the 2024-25 season - including the Europa League final win over Manchester United - due to a previous knee injury, and he was making just his third appearance since the start of May on Sunday.

The 28-year-old previously played five minutes off the bench in Thursday's 1-0 North London derby win over Arsenal in Hong Kong, but he is seemingly now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Head coach Thomas Frank will no doubt be asked for an update on Maddison's condition in his post-game press conference, although Spurs are unlikely to get the full picture for at least a couple of days.

The Lilywhites were already without Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai, Manor Solomon and Bryan Gil due to injury, although the former is expected back in action imminently.

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While Tottenham must wait for the official diagnosis before drawing up firm plans, the early indications are that Maddison has suffered a crushing problem that could put him out for a matter of months.

The Englishman's latest knee-related blow is incredibly untimely for Thomas Frank, who will not have Kulusevski back for the start of the season either, while Morgan Gibbs-White unexpectedly signed a new deal with Nottingham Forest after a protracted transfer saga.

Lucas Bergvall can function as the most advanced midfielder, but Spurs' only other real alternative is 21-year-old Alfie Devine, who was omitted from their tour squad in order to pursue loan opportunities elsewhere.

Spurs could potentially now perform a U-turn and keep Devine for the first half of the season, but if their worst fears over Maddison do come true, it may be time to enter the transfer market again.