Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has been forced to deal with a plethora of injuries since taking over from Ange Postecoglou, with the club's bad luck in that regard continuing into this season.
Ex-chairman Daniel Levy got so frustrated with Spurs' key player absences in 24/25 that he overhauled their medical department for the second year running last summer. Key sports science chiefs Adam Brett and Nick Davies were both shown the door before the start of this season, with Nick Stubbings following Frank from Brentford to join as medical lead.
The Lilywhites were minus Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario for large portions of last campaign, alongside many other key men, which undoubtedly played a role in Spurs' finishing a lowly 17th in the Premier League table.
"Everyone likes an impeding car crash, I am sure we had a lot of people willing that scenario on. I know how hard these players have worked," said Postecoglou during Spurs' injury crisis last season.
"Our training was better and I was confident that we would put in a good shift. The focus is still on trying to win games. In the background we are doing it our own way. We are looking into ways we can do things better, but we're not going to be the only ones.
"There will be a few that come to my world in the next period and people will see it's not just a reflection of people involved, but the circumstances you have been dealt with.
"We have had a few players who have not got injured at all."
This season, they haven't fared much better.
Soon after Frank was appointed to succeed Postecoglou, Spurs lost playmaker James Maddison to an ACL injury which will keep him out for most of 2025/2026, with the England international on an extensive list of absentees.
The likes of Romero, Wilson Odobert, Randal Kolo Muani and Destiny Udogie were also sidelined for periods recently until making their respective comebacks, so Frank will be desperate for this torrid luck to cease as he attempts to guide Tottenham to major silverware and a top four finish.
Luckily for Spurs, electrifying winger and star summer signing Mohammed Kudus is likely to return against Man United this weekend after the Ghanaian confirmed his knock is getting better.
Tottenham hit by injury blow as "promising" youngster Elijah Upson withdraws from England duty
Speaking to Tottenham News, pundit and academy expert John Wenham, who oversees the Lilywhites Rose account on X, says that Tottenham's injury woes even stretch down to youth level.
Young defender Elijah Upson, who captains Spurs' Under-18s, was forced to withdraw from the England Under-17s World Cup squad after suffering his own injury, which comes as a crying shame considering the club could have had five youth players representing them for the Three Lions.
"Spurs have been hit by the blow to Elijah Upson, who has withdrawn through injury,” Wenham said.
“Without injury, Spurs could have had all of Upson, Jun’ai Byfield, Malachi Hardy, Williams-Barnett and Tynan Thompson in the squad. It is a very promising group of players.”
The 17-year-old was recently handed a call-up to Tottenham's Under-21 squad as well, playing the full 90 minutes and shutting out West Brom in a 1-0 win just over a month ago.