Tottenham Hotspur have just six matches remaining but they still have a lot of players yet to return to competitive action after injury
Roberto De Zerbi needs all the help he can get at Tottenham as the club fight for their Premier League status with only six games to go.
His predecessors Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank both had to deal with double figures when it came to injury absences in their final weeks in the job and De Zerbi found out the hard way just how ridiculous Spurs' injury problems are by losing two crucial players within his first week at the club.
The 46-year-old will be hoping for some change on the injury front if the club are to finally win a Premier League match in 2026 with a couple of players back in training at Hotspur Way this week to boost spirits.
So what's the latest with those in the Tottenham treatment room ahead of Saturday's big match against De Zerbi's old team Brighton? Here's what we know about every one of De Zerbi's eight injury doubts and their potential return dates.
Rodrigo Bentancur
Bentancur is back in training three months after surgery on a serious hamstring injury in January.
Last month Bentancur's personal fitness coach Daniel Fernandez said that Bentancur would have returned to training by the end of March but would not be realistically available for first-team action until the end of this month if there are no setbacks.
That could be slightly ahead of schedule at Bentancur appeared to be taking a full part in training this week after De Zerbi said last Friday: "Bentancur is working with us but not completely."
It looks like the midfielder could be the first cab off the rank, to use Ange Postecoglou's terminology, although it could just be minutes here and there at first.
Return date: Potentially a bench role against Brighton if it's decided he's ready
James Maddison
Maddison looks to be back with the squad as part of his reintegration into full training after his long battle back from his anterior cruciate ligament injury.
It has been just under eight-and-a-half months since the England midfielder suffered that injury in Seoul, having only come back before that from a medial collateral ligament injury.
Former Spurs interim boss Tudor had previously shared good news on the player when football.london asked if Maddison could be back before the end of the season.
"Yes. Maddison is already doing interesting things as well with the ball. Sprinting as well. I saw him. He is positive. He's positive," he said.
Now it looks like Maddison could yet play a part before the campaign ends. Hopefully he is following Bentancur's ACL recovery timeline rather than Radu Dragusin's one, with the Romanian not playing until 11 months after his surgery. Bentancur also damaged the meniscus in his knee as well as his ACL, which the England international did not.
That's not to say Maddison is going to step straight back into competitive football but it could be that we see him on the bench in a couple of weeks. Bentancur was on the bench a week after Postecoglou revealed he had returned to full training, while Dragusin was involved in competitive football two months later.
Return date: Potentially either of the games against Villa or Leeds in two to three weeks' time
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Cristian Romero
Romero's season with Tottenham is over due to that knee injury suffered at Sunderland on Sunday afternoon after Brian Brobbey pushed him into Antonin Kinsky.
No surgery was required but he's not expected back before the end of next month due to the injury in his medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The Spurs captain could be back for the World Cup, but that of course will be of little cheer to Tottenham in their relegation battle.
Argentina assistant head coach Roberto Ayala spoke to Cuadro Técnico, a television show on Fox Sports, about the injury. As quoted by Argentine outlet Olé, the Argentina assistant head coach said: "This morning we found out the results of Cuti’s MRI. Thank God that there’s nothing else wrong with his knee. Now they’re going to immobilise it and will likely give him platelet-rich plasma treatment, which is what’s being used now. We’ll see what happens after that."
Return date: Too late for Tottenham but maybe not for the World Cup
Guglielmo Vicario
Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery on a problem that has dogged him for months.
Spurs announced in the days before that the operation had been deliberately timed for the international break and the club's three week absence of fixtures in order to "have as minimal impact as possible". The club added that they hoped the Italian would be able to "return to action within the next month".
Vicario is a fast healer but was not back in time to face Sunderland and is yet to be spotted in training footage this week which means Kinsky will likely continue to fill in between the sticks.
"Vicario is not ready for this game. I hope he can come back earlier next week, but I don't know yet," De Zerbi said ahead of last week's defeat at Sunderland.
Return date: Perhaps Wolves on April 25
Mohammed Kudus
Kudus had a nightmare just as he was all set to come back. The 25-year-old returned to training after three months out with a serious quad tendon injury only to suffer a setback that has ended his season and left his World Cup hopes with Ghana in tatters.
"We can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury. The Ghana international forward suffered a significant quad injury during our Premier League fixture against Sunderland in January. He had returned to team training during the past week, however will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery. We will provide any relevant further updates in due course. We're all with you, Mo," read a statement from Spurs.
"I started not with too big luck!" said De Zerbi. "Yes, Kudus was in my head a crucial player, especially for the position, but we have to look forward anyway."
Return date: Months away
Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski expects to be back playing in time for this summer's World Cup and claimed recently that he's never felt better in his life than he does right now as he closes in on a return from his knee injury.
The Swede injured the patella in his knee back in May last year and after a couple of setbacks following his initial surgery, is yet to return to action for Spurs. At the end of last month he was spotted limping while in Spain meeting his international team-mates ahead of their World Cup play-off semi-final win against Ukraine.
The 25-year-old Tottenham midfielder revealed afterwards that he had undergone a small operation to clean out the knee and that was why he was limping but that the knee was "feeling great now" in a message on Instagram.
Then ahead of Sweden's game, Kulusevski delivered more positive news as he targets a return to action almost a year after his initial injury against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last season.
"I understand that people were worried, but it was really for the wrong reason. It was really positive that I did this little procedure and that we were able to find the problem. Now everything should be solved," he told Swedish media outlet Viaplay. "Now it's just a matter of slowly and surely coming back. I can see the light. It feels better now. I really have a positive feeling about these two important matches [for Sweden] and a World Cup in two or three months. This is how the book and the chapter will end. I am convinced of that."
When asked if he sees himself playing at the World Cup for Sweden this summer, Kulusevski is confident of returning in time for the showpiece tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico and presumably beforehand to help Tottenham in their Premier League relegation battle.
"One hundred percent. Yes. That (the World Cup) is the driving force I have. To have that opportunity is absolutely fantastic. It's a challenge that I haven't been able to overcome so far in terms of getting healthy, but it's not over yet. Now the second game starts," he said.
Return date: Before the end of May if he is to play at the World Cup
Ben Davies
Davies underwent a second operation in January on the broken ankle he suffered in the Premier League defeat that month to West Ham United.
The 32-year-old Wales international was not involved in the World Cup play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina and he was linked with potentially taking on a coaching role if Spurs went for another interim head coach before they managed to convince De Zerbi.
With his contract coming to an end this summer it may be that we don't get to see Davies in a Tottenham shirt again unless he either heals quickly or pens a new deal.
Return date: Unknown
Wilson Odobert
Odobert suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February. He underwent surgery and is now in the early stages of his rehabilitation with the club's medical staff. He was on crutches at the Forest game.
The Frenchman's time at Spurs has been fragmented by injuries and now the 21-year-old will follow in the footsteps of Maddison, Dragusin and Bentancur in going through at least nine months or so out of the game.