Tottenham injury news: Major setback for Roberto De Zerbi ahead of Sunderland as Premier League survival hopes take hit

Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his recovery from a quad injury ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's game against Sunderland.

The Londoners resume their Premier League campaign on Sunday, when they take on newly-promoted Sunderland, and the game will be crucial in their quest for survival.

Boss Roberto De Zerbi will be taking charge of his first match at Tottenham, and he will hope that the his team have benefitted from the fact they have not played a game since March 22.

However, the Italian is still dealing with a number of injuries to key players, including to the likes of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

The club have also confirmed that attacker Kudus has suffered a setback after returning to training in the past week, and he may now require surgery depending on a specialist's review of his injury.

How many games will Mohammed Kudus miss?

Tottenham only have seven more Premier League games left to play, and their final match is set to be played on May 24 against Everton.

Should Kudus require surgical intervention, he would be ruled out for the rest of the season, and that would also put his participation at the World Cup in doubt.

Even a minor setback could prove disastrous given Spurs play three of their final seven league fixtures before the end of the month.

How will De Zerbi line up against Sunderland?

Dominic Solanke seems like a certain inclusion as a striker, while Mathys Tel may be the only natural wide player available on the weekend

Striker Richarlison could be used alongside Solanke, but trying to fit the Brazilian, Solanke and Tel in the same system could be problematic.

De Zerbi has often used a 4-2-3-1 during his managerial career, though with the current options available to him, it may make sense to use a two-striker system on Sunday.

Given Tottenham must prioritise survival above perfecting their playstyle, it could be in the manager's best interests to adapt his preferred formation to suit the players in his squad.