Tottenham games Destiny Udogie will miss through injury as Thomas Frank gives worrying Dejan Kulusevski update

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed the length of time that Destiny Udogie will be sidelined with a hamstring injury for.

The Italian left-back was withdrawn in the first half of Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League, one of two early blows for Spurs following Cristian Romero's sending-off.

Frank could not give an immediate diagnosis on Udogie's injury straight after the game, but even the most minor hamstring injuries usually require a two-week layoff, so a spell in the treatment room was expected.

Speaking to the press ahead of Tuesday's top-flight showdown with Newcastle United, Frank delivered the latest on the injury-plagued defender, who is now set to miss around a month of football.

"Unfortunately, Destiny has a hamstring injury. So he’s out for the next 4-5 weeks. The squad from Saturday is available," Frank said, before also lifting the lid on the behind-the-scenes work for a player who has made just eight Premier League starts this term.

"It's of course an ongoing process, to keep building him more and more robust every day, so that's a long-term process. I think it's a combination of different things. One, teamwork, recovery, training, management, game load, all that," Frank added.

Which Tottenham games will Destiny Udogie miss through injury?

A four-to-five week layoff means that Udogie will likely be in the care of the doctors until the middle of March, and the former Udinese man is at risk of missing up to six games across all competitions.

Spurs will have to cope without Udogie against Newcastle and North London rivals Arsenal before the end of the month, as well as Fulham and Crystal Palace on March 1 and 5 respectively.

The Lilywhites will play the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on either March 10 or 11, and Udogie is also at risk of missing that encounter against Club Brugge, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray or Juventus.

The Italian may have recovered in time for the clash with holders Liverpool on March 15, but there is no guarantee that will be the case, although he should be back in the ranks in time for Nottingham Forest on March 22.

One player Spurs will definitely have available again for Liverpool is Cristian Romero, who begins a four-game domestic ban for his red card at Old Trafford and joins a plethora of players on the Tottenham absentee list.

Thomas Frank delivers worrying update on Dejan Kulusevski

Frank at least confirmed that all other players from Saturday's game will be available once again on Tuesday, but the Dane delivered an alarming update on forgotten man Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swedish winger has not played a single game this season due to a troubling knee injury, and when asked whether he would play at all in 2025-26, Frank replied: "I don't know.

"Deki's got another appointment at the end of the week where we will know more but of course being out of the Champions League squad is a sign it is not tomorrow."

James Maddison, Kevin Danso, Pedro Porro, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies and Richarlison are also out of the picture for Tottenham, but Frank at least confirmed that Djed Spence has recovered from a calf problem.