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Mikel Arteta has been dealt a major injury blow ahead of Arsenal's clash against Tottenham Hotspur – and he'll already be regretting the decision to offload Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira. Ange Postecoglou shall host the Gunners on Sunday afternoon in what is expected to be a fiery north London derby.

Arsenal head into the tie following a controversial draw to Brighton, meanwhile, Tottenham will hope to return to winning ways after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United. Not only will Arteta be without Declan Rice due to suspension, but Martin Odegaard may also be absent.

The 25-year-old midfielder suffered an injury during a Nations League match against Austria on Monday night. While battling for possession with Christoph Baumgartner, Odegaard appeared to sprain his ankle.

The Norway captain received on-field treatment from medical staff before he rose to his feet. Teary-eyed, Odegaard was consoled by his teammates as he was helped off the pitch, with Erling Haaland being the first to comfort his fellow countryman.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Stale Solbakken made a subtle remark about Arteta when quizzed on the playmaker's knock. As quoted by the Mirror, the Norway boss said: "It looked bad in the dressing room too. He didn't have the nerve to continue. It is not certain that Arteta will call me tonight and praise me."

Then, in an interview on TV2, the Norway doctor provided an update. Ola Sand said: "He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow."

As it stands, the severity of the ankle injury remains to be seen until the scan results are revealed. Nevertheless, the injury casts significant doubt over whether or not Odegaard will be fit to feature against Tottenham at the weekend.

With the Norwegian in a race against time to prepare for the north London derby, Arteta will be wondering why on earth Arsenal offloaded Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira – or at least didn't sign a new striker. While Fulham didn't disclose the total fee, football.london understands that the Cottagers paid an initial £27m for the Hale End graduate.

It's believed that the deal could rise to £34m with add-ons, and a sell-on clause has been included. Then, in the final days of the summer transfer window, the Gunners sent Fabio Vieira back to Porto on loan – just two years after arriving at the Emirates Stadium in a deal worth £34m!

Either of the two would've been perfect stand-ins for Odegaard in such a hostile fixture, yet they were both bizarrely offloaded. While, of course, Arsenal signed Mikel Merino, he's injured; as for Ethan Nwaneri, Arteta may be forced to throw him into the deep end.

Had the Gunners even signed a new striker, like many expected, Kai Havertz would've been able to cover for his captain in the middle of the park. Ultimately, Arsenal have a brilliant starting lineup and strong couple of substitutes, but, as soon as players begin to pick up injuries, they look worryingly thin.

Had Edu not offloaded one of Smith Rowe or Vieira and signed another midfielder in the summer, Arsenal would still be well-positioned to defeat Tottenham in the north London derby. Now, the tie hangs in the balance.

Arsenal could have something of an injury crisis on their hands. And at the worst possible time, too.

This Sunday is one of the biggest games in the Premier League calendar - the first North London Derby of the campaign as the Gunners make the short trip to face fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Having drawn with Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break, the Gunners find themselves already two points off the pace at the top of the Premier League. Anything other than a win against Spurs is likely to see them fall further off the pace, given Manchester City face Brentford at home on Saturday and Liverpool face Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

Not only that, but Arsenal follow up a trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face City the following week. It is a pivotal week or so for the Gunners, so early in the season.

That is why they will need every player fit and firing if they are to realise their Premier League title dreams. However, fate has contrived to potentially give them a bum deal.

Already without Declan Rice for the short trip to Spurs, after the England international's first red card of his career in the draw with Brighton, Arsenal could be without as many as SEVEN other first-team players for the big match with Tottenham.

New signing Mikel Merino is definitely out, having picked up a shoulder injury during his first training session with the club after signing from Real Sociedad. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are also out with knee and hamstring injuries respectively.

Jurrien Timber could also be on the sidelines after going off during the game against Brighton. Mikel Arteta did play down the issue, saying it was just "cramping" but there is no confirmation as yet. Gabriel Jesus has been missing since the opening game of the season with a groin injury and could be back for Spurs but again it is unknown.

Now the international duty has not been kind to Arsenal. Riccardo Calafiori went off injured during Italy's win over France in the Nations League. It was a bizarre injury, with Calafiori taking a heavy impact from Ousmane Dembele after he was challenged by Alessandro Bastoni.

The new signing returned to Arsenal early for assessment, playing no part in Italy's second game of the break. And now there is another injury scare and a rather major one at that.

Martin Odegaard, who was withdrawn early against Brighton, picked up an injury on duty for Norway on Monday night, limping off midway through the second half against Austria. Odegaard picked up an ankle knock in the 2-1 win and Norway manager Stale Solbakken said afterwards: "Martin Ødegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well."

An MRI scan was mooted on Tuesday morning and Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will face an anxious wait to see if their captain can play any part against Tottenham in the North London Derby.

Adrien Rabiot rejected a move to Tottenham in brutal fashion just a few years ago, but now he's come crawling back. The transfer window might have closed but Rabiot, who's currently a free agent after leaving Juventus in July, is still eligible for a move somewhere.

According to TBR Football, the Frenchman, 29, has offered himself to both Tottenham and Arsenal in a bid to secure passage back in from the cold. He has offers on the table from clubs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but it's understood his preference is to sign for a team in one of Europe's top leagues.

However, Rabiot's wage demands could end up scuppering such a move, with reports suggesting the midfielder is asking for around £220,000-a-week. To put that into context, Tottenham's highest-earner, Son Heung-min, is on £190k-a-week, while just five Spurs players are earning more than £100k-a-week.

Ange Postecoglou's side were busy bees over the summer. Not only did they break their transfer record to sign Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke for £65million, they splashed a further £71m on four supremely talented youngsters.

What presents an issue for Rabiot is that two of those youngsters, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, play in central midfield, which probably means Spurs won't be too desperate to take the France international up on his come-and-get-me plea, particularly with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma also in the squad.

Nonetheless, Rabiot's predicament represents quite the turnaround given that he claimed Spurs were "below" his level when they tried to sign him in 2018. Back then, Rabiot was looking for a way out of Paris Saint Germain after falling out with the club's newly-appointed manager, and soon-to-be Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel.

Interest in him was high, with some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Barcelona and Juventus, pushing to secure his signature - which might explain his indifference towards a move to Tottenham. That said, the north London club were on the ascendency at the time.

Mauricio Pochettino had established them as Premier League title-challengers, and they were regulars in the Champions League. A few months later they reached the Champions League final for the very first time too, but it wasn't enough to coax Rabiot to N17.

He ended up joining Juventus on a free transfer at the end of the 2018/19 season, while Spurs signed Tanguy Ndombele. In Turin, Rabiot quickly established himself as a first team regular, and his club form helped him finally nail down a starting spot in Didier Deschamps' France team.

However, he was dropped from the latest squad, with Deschamps reportedly keen for Rabiot to get regular club football under his belt before bringing him back into the fold. As things stand, unless the former Manchester City academy star is willing to lower his wage demands, a move away from Europe looks likeliest.

Ange Postecoglou will want to give Tottenham's Premier League season a kickstart with a positive performance against Arsenal this weekend.

The first North London Derby of the 2024/25 campaign arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Mikel Arteta brings his side along Seven Sisters Road. The Gunners have started the season with two wins and a draw, while Postecoglou's men have begun proceedings with a victory, a draw and a defeat.

The Australian will know that a poor Spurs performance against Arsenal will cast a gloom over the start of his second season in charge while a win would kick it up a notch. A draw with a positive display would also provide a foundation for the weeks and months ahead.

Here are five things that we reckon Postecoglou will have to decide at Hotspur Way this week.

Use training in the best way

With the game coming on Sunday, it at least gives Postecoglou - and Arteta - an extra day to prepare his team as the bulk of his players return from international duty in stages.

Yves Bissouma, Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero will be among the last to return to Hotspur Way during the course of this week, potentially returning to training as late as Thursday depending on their flights back to the UK from around the world.

That gives Postecoglou three training sessions with the whole team ahead of the big derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he's going to have to make every minute count.

Make decisions on injured players

In an ideal world, Postecoglou would start both Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven in this North London Derby. The Spurs boss has previously suggested that both players were close to playing against Newcastle so by that logic, two weeks on, they should be in a position to face Arsenal.

Ultimately though, only Postecoglou and the sports science staff will know as this week progresses whether the two key players at either end of the pitch are ready. As good as they are, he doesn't want compromised versions of either of them on the pitch in such a high energy derby where any weakness will be magnified.

The problem for the Australian is that while he has another good defender in Radu Dragusin to cover Van de Ven, the Romanian does not possess the pace the Dutchman does and that means an adjustment to the high line or who tracks back. In Solanke's case, Son has done well against Arsenal in the central role, scoring twice at the Emirates Stadium last season, but Postecoglou would prefer to have his captain raiding down the left flank.

Richarlison is also out injured, but Postecoglou's comments on the Brazilian before the break appeared to suggest that his return date was unclear.

Pick the perfect midfield

Arsenal have some issues in the midfield department because they are missing England international Declan Rice through suspension as well as new signing Mikel Merino, who suffered a shoulder injury in training soon after joining the club. Martin Odegaard also picked up an ankle injury on international duty on Monday night and will have to be assessed in the days ahead.

That means Arteta will have to reshuffle his midfield with Jorginho potentially coming in alongside Thomas Partey and perhaps Kai Havertz playing in a deeper role.

Barring any injuries of his own on international duty, Postecoglou will have a full strength midfield to choose from and he needs to take advantage of any potential weakening of the visitors' engine room.

He's got Yves Bissouma in good form right now as he looks to make up for his pre-season indiscretion and James Maddison looking sharp again alongside him. The key will be who completes the trio and whether it's Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, perhaps a curveball in one of the young newcomers in Archie Gray or Lucas Bergvall thrown into the derby heat, or even another Swede who is pushing for that spot.

The Kulusevski conundrum

Dejan Kulusevski has been one of Spurs' sharper players this season but where he plays has been a puzzle for Postecoglou. The Swede, who captained his country twice this fortnight, sees himself as a number 10 who just happened to find success as a right winger.

However, the 24-year-old does not fit the Postecoglou archetype of a winger staying high and wide up the pitch. Kulusevski likes to cut inside and operate in the middle.

In the second half of last season, the Tottenham boss began using the Sweden international as his Maddison alternative on the left of the midfield three. That preference for Kulusevski as a deeper player has spilled into this season and even though he was the best player in pre-season, he was left out of the starting line-up for the opening game because Postecoglou wanted traditional wingers and he had his midfield already in mind.

Then he used Kulusevski in the midfield trio on the right with Maddison and Bissouma against Everton and it worked perfectly. The Spurs boss switched to it again in the second half at Newcastle and it made an impact again.

The conundrum now for Postecoglou is whether to use it again or decide that midfield would be too attacking at home against Arsenal with the safer Sarr or Bentancur required.

Odobert or not Odobert

Wilson Odobert has excited Postecoglou with his abilities since arriving from Burnley last month in a £30million deal. He is a bundle of energy, pace, dribbling and technique all wrapped up into one, but the 19-year-old is also raw and so far without an end product in his first two Spurs appearances.

The Tottenham head coach must decide whether to unleash him again against Arsenal and much could depend on Solanke's fitness. If the striker is fit then Son will start on the left and Odobert will fight it out with Brennan Johnson and perhaps Kulusevski for the place on the right.

Johnson might just edge it after his strong display at Newcastle, but Postecoglou has a number of options and the chaos that Odobert creates will bring with it a compelling argument for the France U21 international's inclusion.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

It is one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season - the first North London Derby of the new Premier League season is here as Spurs host Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But, even at this early stage of the campaign, we could see some changed starting lineups for both sides. Arsenal will definitely be without Declan Rice, who is suspended after being sent off for the first time in his career against Brighton before the international break.

There are also question marks over new signing Riccardo Calafiori, who returned early from international duty with Italy after picking up a knock in the win over France. In fact, Arsenal could be without as many as seven players for the North London Derby.

Does that give Spurs a further edge? After all, home advantage will surely give them a slight edge anyway.

Tottenham, however, could be missing three players of their own for the big match. And maybe more, depending on what happens in the final international games of the week.

Dominic Solanke has missed two of Spurs' three Premier League games so far this season, following his £65million move from Bournemouth. He picked up an ankle injury in the match with Leicester and missed the Everton and Newcastle matches as a result.

Richarlison came back from injury to come off the bench against Leicester on the opening day, and against his former club Everton on gameweek two. But he was also ruled out of the Newcastle game.

Another player to miss the trip to St James' Park was defender Micky van de Ven - a knee injury suffered in the 4-0 win over Everton keeping him out of that match and the subsequent international break with the Netherlands.

Arsenal have been handed some injury concerns over the international break with Mikel Arteta now sweating over the fitness of Martin Odegaard ahead of the return of the Premier League this weekend.

The Gunners travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon. But they already know that they will be without two midfielders in Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, due to suspension and injury respectively.

There is now a doubt over club captain Odegaard, who has been in international action for Norway over the two week break. If he is unavailable, it would cause a real selection headache for Arteta with midfield options ahead of the clash already low.

It’s the second injury worry of the international break with new signing Riccardo Calafiori picking up a problem while away with Italy. With that in mind, here is the latest on matters in the treatment room at Arsenal.

Martin Odegaard

Injury: Ankle

The Arsenal captain was in action for Norway on Monday night against Austria when he suffered an injury in the second half of the game. He went down after colliding with Christoph Baumgartner, and received treatment from the medical staff before being replaced by Kristian Thorstvedt.

Arsenal now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of the injury. It is still to be seen if it is serious enough to rule him out of the North London Derby at the weekend.

Riccardo Calafiori

Injury: Calf

The defender suffered the injury in Italy’s Nations League clash against France. There was initial optimism that he would be able to feature for the nation again this week, but he has since returned to Arsenal to continue his recovery.

Mikel Merino

Injury: Shoulder

What Arteta has said: “Very unfortunate. Yesterday, he had a collision, and he has a shoulder injury. It looks like he's going to be out for a few weeks. He was really excited, and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor, and Gabi landed on top of him, and it looks like he has a small fracture, probably."

Possible return date: Vs Bournemouth (A) (October 19).

Declan Rice

Reason for absence: Suspension.

Return date: Vs Atalanta (A) (September 19).

Takehiro Tamiyasu

Injury: Knee.

What Arteta has said: “At the moment, it is difficult to say [when he will return]. It's a bit slow the process of the first phase of that injury. It's probably for the medical team to say more than that. He's not done any training yet."

Possible return date: Vs Leicester City (September 28).

Gabriel Jesus

Injury: Muscle

What Arteta has said: “He’s progressing really well. He had a muscle injury, and he’s doing quite a lot of the stuff already, so we expect him to be with us really soon."

Possible return date: Vs Tottenham (September 15).

Kieran Tierney

Injury: Hamstring.

What Arteta has said: “He will be a few weeks."

Arsenal have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of this weekend's north London derby at Tottenham after Martin Odegaard limped off during Norway's game against Austria on Monday.

The Gunners, who are already without Declan Rice and Mikel Merino for the trip to Spurs, could now be without Odegaard after he was substituted with an ankle problem.

Odegaard started the match on the right-hand side but went down midway through the second half after colliding with Christoph Baumgartner. He stayed down for a couple of minutes while being treated by the Norway medical staff before a decision was made to take him off.

The Arsenal captain then appeared to stumble to the touchline looking in pain before being replaced by Kristian Thorstvedt, with former Norway striker-turned-broadcaster Jan Age Fjortoft recording footage of Odegaard limping off and describing it as 'worrying' on social media.

It's the last thing Mikel Arteta would have wanted after losing both Rice and Merino for Sunday's game. Rice is suspended following his red card in the 1-1 draw against Brighton before the international break, while Merino is set to miss the next couple of weeks after injuring his shoulder in training.

If Odegaard is out of the trip to Tottenham, Arteta may only have Thomas Partey and Jorginho as recognised central midfielders available. Kai Havertz has been used as a No.8 during his time at the Gunners, but he has impressed up front, scoring twice in their opening three Premier League matches.

Although Odegaard hasn't scored or assisted this season, he is one of Arsenal's most important players. The Gunners haven't got anyone of his profile in the squad right now and his absence would be a major blow. Odegaard finished last season with eight goals and 10 assists in 35 Premier League appearances.

This comes a matter of days after Riccardo Calafiori looked to pick up an injury during Italy's 3-1 win over France at the Parc des Princes. Calafiori was stretchered off after Ousmane Dembele landed on his calf, with the 22-year-old returning back to Arsenal to be assessed.

The Gunners started the campaign with back-to-back victories over Wolves and Aston Villa, but the draw against Brighton on August 31 has slightly dampened the mood around the Emirates.

Speaking after their most recent outing, Arteta said: "It was a very emotional afternoon, for sure. We started the game really well, created three or four chances that we didn’t convert. After that we had a period with some issues, particularly with the ball and we lacked some dominance in that period.

"We then score a really good goal in a moment when we take advantage of the opponent. Then we go in at half-time, come back and we were really strong.

"Then the referee makes a decision that changes the course of the game. With 10 men, the team reacted unbelievably well, the stadium reacts unbelievably well and we should have won the game."

Tottenham could see an important transfer plan impacted significantly by London rivals Chelsea. Though the summer trading period in England has closed, clubs in Turkiye are still able to make moves with that showcased by Victor Osimhen's switch from Napoli to Galatasaray last week.

A number of Premier League clubs have previously managed to offload fringe players following the closing of their own summer window with teams in Turkiye and Saudi Arabia often benefitting. The trading period in the Middle East closed earlier this month but there is still a chance for English clubs to sell players before September 18.

Ange Postecoglou and Johan Lange were able to trim the squad over the summer with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp among those to depart. Tottenham also managed to get Giovani Lo Celso out of North London but an exit agreement for Sergio Reguilon was not reached.

The Spain international was omitted from the club's Europa League squad, but there is still a chance he can secure exit. According to the Star, Spurs have given Reguilon an ultimatum with the club keen for him to go to Turkiye which would see him potentially join up with former teammates Davinson Sanchez and Gedson Fernandes.

As for Chelsea, the likes of Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher were told they had no immediate future at Stamford Bridge. As such, all three were able to secure exits, but Ben Chilwell was one outcast unable to complete a move.

That has not changed Chelsea's stance, though, with the Blues hoping he will join a Turkish club before their transfer window shuts on Friday. As Chilwell and Reguilon are left-backs, the chances of Tottenham and Chelsea both seeing their dilemma solved is unlikely.

Despite their exit stance, Reguilon - signed in 2020 for £32 million - has still been involved in some first-team training sessions, and though he may be frozen out if he cannot seal an exit, it is absolutely worth keeping him around after what he was able to do last season.

The 27-year-old impressed on loan at both Brentford and Manchester United in the 2023/24 campaign and he would certainly give Spurs a different option at full-back.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham Hotspur have served up a reasonable trio of Premier League performances this season but have only four points to show for it.

Spurs opened the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Leicester City and the King Power Stadium before running riot with a 4-0 win against Everton at home. Ange Postecoglou's side then went to St James' Park and dominated their match against Newcastle United, only to lose 2-1 to Eddie Howe's team.

The mixed results have coincided with an array of mixed performances from Postecoglou's players. As an international break staple, it's time to rate them for their three displays so far, taking an average of what we've given them in their opening run of games in our match player ratings.

We've had to use the odd decimal point to get proper averages. Let's start with the man between the sticks:

Guglielmo Vicario

Made a couple of important saves in either half at Leicester, denying Vardy in a one vs one duel. Made a flying save from Lindstrom against Everton and couldn't do much about the goals at Newcastle, making a decent save from Murphy midway through the second half. 7

Pedro Porro

Headed home Spurs' first goal of the season, but didn't read the danger posed by Vardy for the equaliser. He was very good against Everton and forced Pope into a flying save at Newcastle and hit the crossbar, but did stop chasing Isak for the winning goal. 7

Cristian Romero

Has had some good moments, including a thumping header to score against Everton, and he was excellent against the Toffees in his 100th game for the club with some great passes. However, the Argentine has also been involved in some capacity with all three goals conceded. 6.6

Micky van de Ven

Just the two games for the Dutchman. He didn't do much wrong in the first game and then against Everton was brilliant as he played on after hyperextending his knee and set up Son with that brilliant pitch-long run. 8

Radu Dragusin

Only one game for the Romanian as he battled away and made a terrific tackle on Isak in the second half at St James' Park after the Newcastle striker looked like he'd got away. Hasn't got Van de Ven's pace but he brings his own abilities to the table. 7

Destiny Udogie

Recently returned from his recovery from quadriceps surgery, hadn't played since April and he's looked like a player trying to regain his sharpness at times. 6.3

Djed Spence

Showed plenty of desire to get up and down the flank, both right and left, during his two late cameos. Not enough time to really rate him fairly though. N/A

Pape Matar Sarr

Bright at Leicester before fading in the second half, came off the bench against Everton and played the first half at Newcastle before coming off with a booking. 6.6

Yves Bissouma

Suspended for the game at Leicester, but bounced back and started his trust rebuilding process with a rocket of a shot in off the crossbar for his first official goal for the club against Everton. Was one of Spurs better players at Newcastle as well. 7.5

Rodrigo Bentancur

A tough start to the season for the Uruguayan. He was playing solidly at Leicester before suffering that head injury, he missed the Everton game through the concussion protocol and then came off the bench at Newcastle. Seems a harsh score but it's mainly because it's only two marks and he didn't make much of an impact at St James' Park. 5.5

Archie Gray

Just the two appearances from the bench so far from the 18-year-old and he was solid enough in both. 6

James Maddison

A strong start to the season with the cross Porro headed home at Leicester, his corner was headed home by Romero against Everton and forced Pope into a flying save at Newcastle, with plenty of dangerous passes across all three games. 7.3

Lucas Bergvall

Got a rocket from Vicario after the keeper had to make a save following a bit of loose play from the young Swede but otherwise the teenager has started brightly across three cameos from the bench. 5.6

Brennan Johnson

Struggled in his first two games before coming to the fore again in an impressive second half at Newcastle. 5.3

Dejan Kulusevski

Has played everywhere already this season, in the midfield, up front and as a right winger and he's looked sharp for most of it, grabbing an assist for Bissouma's goal against Everton. 6.6

Dominic Solanke

Just the one game, his first in three weeks, and he played on with an ankle injury. Worked himself a couple of early opportunities with headers at the keeper. Sent another shot at Hermansen from a Sarr pass. Got around the pitch with good movement as well as pressing. He'll find his sharpness as the weeks go on after he returns from his injury. 6

Son Heung-min

After a quiet display against Leicester, Son was brilliant against Everton with a couple of goals and then had a mixed performance at Newcastle. 6.6

Timo Werner

Two appearances from the bench and hasn't really made an impact. 4.5

Richarlison

Had a big late chance from Bergvall's free-kick at Leicester but headed it over unmarked and then had a longer cameo against Everton in which he worked hard before getting a muscle injury in training. 5

Wilson Odobert

His Tottenham debut started brightly with some great touches and ability to jink past opponents. Did give the ball away a couple of times, including one occasion which Vicario had to end up making a save from, but still a promising start. Less effective at Newcastle and it'll be about that final ball and understanding his team-mates' movements as he settles in. 6

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Dejan Kulusevski has spoken out on Sweden’s dressing room turmoil by calling the drama “unnecessary”. The Spurs winger refused to pick sides in a bitter feud which has erupted between Sweden national team manager Jon Dahl Tomasson and young midfielder Hugo Larsson over the past week.

Larsson, 20, was an unused substitute in last Thursday’s Nations League clash with Azerbaijan, which Sweden won 3-1. Manager Tomasson critiqued the Eintracht Frankfurt star publicly by saying he wanted him to be better and to make more forward passes.

That’s something Larsson took issue with, venting to reporters that the legendary Denmark striker should have addressed him in private rather than air his shortcomings. Following a meeting, Larsson was sent home from the national team camp ahead of Sweden’s 3-0 win over Estonia on Sunday, with the official reason given by Sweden being that he had suffered a minor injury or discomfort.

But German outlets via Fotbollskanalen claimed Larsson was in fact sent home because of the rift – something which Tomasson denies. And the focus remained on the spat even in spite of their dominant victory, which was sealed by a Viktor Gyokeres double and a goal from Alexander Isak.

Tottenham ace and acting Sweden captain Kulusevski commented on the saga: “Sometimes in the family there is a bit of a problem. You don't have to think the same thing all the time. The most important thing is that we are here to play football.

“It doesn't affect us negatively, it's just unnecessary but it happens and you just have to move on. I'm here if Hugo wants to talk.”

Tomasson played coy before the Estonia clash, saying that he wished to focus on the game alone and only put his energy into the players that were still present. He was more open post-match, explaining: “Larsson is a young man, 20 years old, with a lot of emotions. We need to take care of him at that age. But we have 23 players in the squad, not all of them can play. Everyone deserves to play, but the team comes first."

He insisted several times that Larsson is "a very good player" and explained that it was an injury that caused him to return home to Germany.

Tomasson said: “No, of course not. He felt something on Thursday, and could continue, but in the small team game yesterday he felt something and talked to the doctors.

“They concluded that he could not play. The doctors called Frankfurt, then the club decided whether he should stay or go home.” He added that he would consider Larsson’s place in his squad for the next international break.

But comments from other players, like Kulusevski, indicated that there were tensions bubbling under the surface, and that all was not as serene as Tomasson had made out behind the scenes.

Newcastle striker Isak said: “I don't want to throw more fuel to the fire. The association can handle that together with Hugo. It didn't affect me at all.

“I've been around for a while so I'm pretty comfortable with how things are handled. But it is clear that it may not be the most positive thing for such a young squad.”

Meanwhile, youngster Yasin Ayari defended Larsson’s character, saying: “I know Hugo, he is a great person and a great friend of mine. I have great respect for him at the same time as I have great respect for Jon Dahl Tomasson. I just hope it works out in a good way.”

When Kulusevski returns to north London this week, his focus will turn to Spurs' next Premier League challenge – the derby at home to Arsenal on Sunday.