Tottenham Hotspur loanee Mykhailo Mudryk has suffered an ankle injury in training and is expected to be sidelined until after the September international break.
Spurs signed the Ukrainian on a season-long loan from rivals Chelsea on summer transfer deadline day and he made his first competitive appearance in 646 days as a substitute in their 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
But Mudryk’s chances of settling quickly in north London have been dealt a blow after he picked up an ankle injury in training.
The 25-year-old is expected to be sidelined until after the internationals, which would rule him out of Tottenham’s home league games against Everton and Aston Villa, which fall either side of the Carabao Cup third-round tie at Liverpool.
Mudryk had not played competitively since November 2024 when he joined Spurs, having been banned for 20 months for breaching the Football Association’s (FA) doping rules.
On July 31, a resolution between the FA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was reached over an anti-doping violation, allowing Mudryk to return to club training and selection.
The 25-year-old had to train away from all Chelsea facilities on his own during that 20-month period, having returned an adverse finding in a urine sample. He was provisionally suspended and then handed a four-year ban by the FA in April this year, a verdict he lodged an appeal against to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Spurs are currently without forwards Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, who are recovering from anterior cruciate ligament injuries, while James Maddison has missed the last two matches with a shoulder complaint. Richarlison has been left out of the club’s Premier League squad.
But Dejan Kulusevski is back in full training in a boost to head coach Roberto De Zerbi, while the club boosted their forward options with the signings of Savio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City during the window.
What does this mean for Mudryk and Spurs?
It’s a frustrating start to life in north London for Mudryk, who Tottenham recruited on deadline day to provide depth at left wing.
Mudryk was signed to compete with Mathys Tel on the left of De Zerbi’s attack, after Spurs were beaten to the signing of Iliman Ndiaye by Manchester City.
Having not played competitive football since scoring in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the Conference League in November 2024, there was an acceptance that it would take Mudryk a while to get up to speed, but after De Zerbi handed him an opportunity from the bench against Nottingham Forest on the weekend, it suggested the Italian, who coached Mudryk at Shakhtar Donetsk, was willing to fast-track his involvement with the team.
While the Ukraine international did not make much of an impact in his short cameo from the bench against Forest, he did provide a slight glimmer of what he could offer De Zerbi’s side from the left this season, winning a free-kick on the edge of the box after dribbling past his marker.
His injury leaves De Zerbi slightly short of left-wing options, with Tel, whom the coach said “takes too many wrong decisions”, competing with Omar Marmoush for a starting spot.
As for Mudryk, it represents yet another frustrating setback. He will have undoubtedly harboured ambitions of returning to the Ukraine national team over the international break, but this injury will prevent that.
And with Tottenham preparing to travel to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup next week — a game he could have been in line to start or play significant minutes in — he will have to wait longer than planned to make a real impact in Spurs colours.
However, with just two league games remaining before the extended international break, Mudryk has time without a run of matches to recover.