Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Saturday evening, as they travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United - but a number of first-team players will miss the match
Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester United on Saturday evening, but Roberto De Zerbi will be without a number of first-team players.
It's been a long, three-week international break with English fans itching for the return of the Premier League, despite having the opportunity to watch Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions thriving on the world stage.
However, the condensed four-game Nations League break has also opened the door to Spurs players potentially picking up injuries while on duty with their respective countries.
That's on top of an already lengthy injury list to navigate early into the season, with the Lilywhites in desperate need of having their best talents available as they look to turn around a sub-par start to 2026/27.
Here, football.london breaks down all of the latest with regard to injury news and potential return dates for Tottenham Hotspur players...
Micky van de Ven
The hearts of Spurs fans will have been in their mouths when Micky van de Ven was forced off the pitch late on during the Netherlands' Nations League win over Serbia on Sunday, considering how vital he is to the north London club.
The centre-half had his hand stepped on by Luka Jovic, and was seen writhing in pain as he was taken off the pitch - leaving Xavi's side down to 10 men given they had already used all of their substitutions for the game.
However, Xavi confirmed in the aftermath of the 2-1 win that Van de Ven's serious was not of a serious nature. The Spaniard explained: "He’s ok, he felt dizzy because he suffered with his finger. It’s not a big injury."
That will come as welcome news to Tottenham supporters, as he should be available for selection this weekend.
Potential return date: Saturday, October 10 vs Manchester United (A)
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Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro was forced to withdraw from Spain's Nations League camp as a result of a hamstring injury sustained against Aston Villa last month.
While reports at the time suggested that he would be out for up to a month, the full-back has since came on leaps and bounds in his recovery.
However, Saturday's game looks likely to land a little too soon for Porro to participate.
Potential return date: Mid to late October
Mykhailo Mudryk
Mykhailo Mudryk has been limited to just one game under Roberto De Zerbi since making the switch from Chelsea on a season-long loan as a result of injury.
The Ukrainian picked up an ankle injury in training last month and has been sidelined since. However, he could be back in action before the turn of the month.
Potential return date: Saturday, October 31 vs Crystal Palace (H)
Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski has been recovering from a knee injury from May 2025 which forced him to miss the entirety of last season. He has since returned to first-team training, with hopes that the international break has given him ample opportunity to build up his fitness.
Spurs will be very cautious as they reintegrate him to his first-team duties, however, and Kulusevski remains a little way from consistent game time just yet.
Potential return date: Late October/November
Wilson Odobert
Wilson Odobert has been absent from the Tottenham Hotspur first-team since undergoing surgery on a ruptured ACL back in February.
Reports suggest that he could return in November, should his recovery continue to run smooth.
Potential return date: November
Xavi Simons
Xavi Simons is also on the road to recovery following surgery on a ruptured ACL, which occurred this summer. While he has made waves in his recovery, he is not expected to feature under De Zerbi until the new year.
Potential return date: 2027
Jan Paul van Hecke
Summer signing Jan Paul van Hecke also sustained an injury while representing the Netherlands, with an issue arising in training the day after the nation's 2-1 win over Serbia at the end of last month.
He was forced to withdraw from the squad and return to north London prematurely as a result, with Xavi explaining at the time: "During the match against Serbia, someone stepped on him.
"He didn’t realise it during the match, but afterwards it was impossible for him to play. He really wanted to try, but he was in a lot of pain. That is why we decided to take him off the list.
"He tried to participate in recovery training. He tried again today, but he couldn’t touch the ball."
It remains to be seen how severe Van Hecke's issue is.