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Tottenham have been handed another injury blow ahead of their north London derby with Arsenal with Pape Matar Sarr picking up a knock on international duty.

Thomas Frank has been dealing with a lengthy injury list in north London but was able to welcome back skipper Cristian Romero in the weeks before the international break.

A trip to the Emirates looms large next Sunday in their first game back with Spurs desperate to dent Arsenal’s early title charge and pull themselves closer to the summit.

Frank’s plans for that derby clash have been dealt a blow however with Sarr forced off while playing for Senegal against Brazil in a friendly game in London.

Sarr came off early in the second-half, leaving the pitch flanked by Senegal’s medical staff.

The exact nature of the injury was not immediately clear but it will no doubt be a concern for Spurs eight days away from the derby.

Lucas Bergvall meanwhile was sent home early from Sweden duty as a result of a concussion he suffered in the defeat to Chelsea at the start of November.

The midfielder missed Tottenham’s two games heading into the break.

Archie Gray, Ben Davies and Dominic Solanke are among those hoping to return to action soon for Spurs while Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin are edging closer to full fitness after knee injuries.

James Maddison remains a long-term absentee.

Arsenal were handed their own injury concern on Saturday evening with Gabriel Magalhaes forced off in the same friendly.

The Brazil international limped off in the 64th minute of the game at the Emirates Stadium and appearing to be pointing at his right thigh during a conversation with Brazil’s medical team.

The Gunners are hoping to have Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke available.

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The Slovenian FA have released a statement seeking to ease tensions over Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko and his knee injury.

Sesko, a £64million signing from RB Leipzig during the summer transfer window, picked up a knee injury against Tottenham last Saturday, forced off for the final stages of the game.

United have not provided any official update on the striker other than Ruben Amorim confirming it is a knee issue. Reports have suggested the injury is not thought to be a serious one but there is still no clear timeline for how long he will be sidelined for.

Sesko has not joined up with the Slovenia squad with manager Matjaz Kek this week accused United of keeping him and his staff in the dark over their player’s fitness, frustrated his own team doctor was unable to examine him.

Football Association of Slovenia have now released a statement confirming all relevant documentation has been received, appearing to resolve the situation.

While there are no further details on the nature of the injury, Slovenia confirm it has left the striker unable to participate in ‘the training process’.

‘The medical team of the Slovenian national football team received the complete medical documentation from Manchester United regarding Benjamin Sesko’s health condition following his injury on Saturday, including the current clinical picture and the examinations performed,’ a spokesperson said.

‘Unfortunately, the injury currently does not allow for the training process.

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‘In the coming days, additional examinations and the start of treatment are planned at the club, so Benjamin will unfortunately not be able to participate in this national team action.

‘We wish Benjamin a speedy recovery and a return to the football field as soon as possible.’

Sesko has scored twice in seven starting appearances for United, on target against Brentford and Sunderland.

United will hope to have him available after the international break, returning to action against Everton.

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Ruben Amorim left members of his Manchester United squad stunned after he ripped into Manuel Ugarte following last season’s Europa League final defeat against Tottenham.

An insipid, toothless display in Bilbao yielded a 1-0 loss and ensured a miserable season culminated in a lack of silverware and European qualification.

Uruguay international Ugarte joined United from Paris Saint-Germain in January and, although new to the Premier League, was expected to make an instant impact given he had worked with Amorim at Sporting Lisbon.

The Uruguay international has struggled to adapt to the demands of Premier League football, however, and was given a serious dressing down in front of his teammates by Amorim following the Europa League final defeat against Tottenham.

In the same meeting during which Alejandro Garnacho was left in no doubt that his future lay elsewhere, Ugarte, according to The Athletic, was told he had become far too comfortable in his new surroundings and his lax attitude rendered him unrecongisable from the player his manager had coached in Portugal.

Despite that chastening experience, Ugarte still appears some way short of winning Amorim’s full confidence.

The combative midfielder has made just nine appearances, most of those as substitute, and his long-term future looks anything but assured.

United’s most recent signings have all made positive impacts and the next stage of a seismic rebuild is likely to centre on strengthening in midfield.

The Red Devils maintain interest in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson as well as his England teammate Adam Wharton, who former United striker Louis Saha fears would represent a huge transfer risk.

‘It’s a possibility (that Man Utd could sign Adam Wharton for £100 million next summer).’ former United striker Saha told OLBG .

‘I think Adam Wharton is a young lad. I do think that sometimes you have to be careful with those big signings.

‘I consider this new market to be extremely dangerous for clubs because you can see the hype that goes up and then you’re left surprised.

‘It took a bit of time for Moises Caicedo to settle at Chelsea as well so there are big signings and sometimes the expectations are too high.

‘You have to really read under the lines and that’s not easy. That’s really not an easy market.

‘People can throw big numbers. The agents are very pleased with that. I am not a big fan of this.’

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Four Arsenal players are ‘pushing to be fit’ for the north London derby clash against Tottenham on November 23, according to reports.

The Gunners host their rivals at the Emirates, looking to get back to winning ways after their 2-2 draw with Sunderland last time out.

The north London derby is just under two weeks away and takes place after the November international break.

Kai Havertz set to return against Spurs?

Kai Havertz is one of four Arsenal stars ‘pushing’ to be fit for the game against Spurs, The Standard have reported.

The Germany international suffered a knee injury against Manchester United in Arsenal’s first Premier League game of the 2025-26 campaign.

That’s the only appearance Havertz has made for Arsenal this season but he could be set to make his return against Thomas Frank’s side.

Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli are the other three Arsenal players pushing to be fit for the north London derby this month.

It is thought the involvement of Havertz, Gyokeres, Odegaard and Martinelli against Spurs will depend on how they progress in the coming days.

Gyokeres missed the games against Sunderland and Slavia Prague due to a muscle injury.

Odegaard, meanwhile, has missed a number of matches over a knee problem and Martinelli has been struggling with a groin issue.

Mohammed Kudus to feature against Arsenal?

Tottenham are hoping to have summer signing Mohammed Kudus fit for the north London derby against Arsenal.

It has been confirmed that Kudus will sit out of Ghana’s fixtures during the international break.

The 25-year-old picked up a knock in the defeat by Chelsea on November 1 and has since missed a Champions League win over FC Copenhagen and the Premier League draw with Manchester United on Saturday.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Spurs, winning five of those matches.

The Gunners are top of the league heading into the north London derby while Spurs are fifth in the table after their opening 11 games this term.

The last competitive north London derby took place in January with Arsenal winning 2-1 after an own goal from Dominic Solanke and Leandro Trossard getting on the scoresheet.

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Tottenham forward Mohammed Kudus will sit out of Ghana’s fixtures during the international, aiming to return for the clash with Arsenal on November 23.

The 25-year-old picked up a knock in the defeat by Chelsea on November 1 and has since missed a Champions League win over FC Copenhagen and the Premier League draw with Manchester United on Saturday.

Ahead of that meeting with the Red Devils, Spurs boss Thomas Frank told a press conference on Friday: ‘Kudus is touch and go for tomorrow. Yeah, we’ll see.’

The former West Ham man did not make it back in time and now he will rest up and not join his international teammates.

The Black Stars travel to take on Japan on Friday and then to face South Korea on Tuesday November 18.

Not only would the minor injury Kudus is dealing with be at risk, but that is a huge amount of travel for two friendly fixtures.

With that no longer on his schedule, Frank can be even more optimistic, having said on Saturday: ‘Very confident that he should be available for the next one.’

Frank will be delighted to have the Ghanaian back, with the winger already making 15 appearances for the side he joined in the summer.

Tottenham have a string of injuries at this point in the season, although there could be a number of returns for that meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates.

Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani are all hoping to be fit again as soon as the international break is over.

Cristian Romero is expected to be fine after being substituted against Manchester United at the weekend.

James Maddison remains out until well into 2026 with a knee injury, while Dejan Kulusevski is closing in on a return but will not be involved against Arsenal.

Frank’s squad has a lot of attacking talent in it, but with struggles for fitness and form, he admits that he is still searching to find his best combination up front.

‘Yeah, I think that’s fair,’ he said on if he is still looking fir the ideal set-up in attack after the 2-2 draw with Manchester United. ‘We are searching to find the right balance up front, and I think when we look at the game back, I think there was positive bits going forward also from the game.

‘I think we created one of the biggest chances – Richarlison from a cross from Brennan [Johnson] after, what, five, 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s the small things – he scores on that instead of Bryan then it changes a little bit and opened up the game a tiny bit more, but we constantly work on the relationships and try to improve it with the players and try to find what is exactly the right blend, but I think there were small steps in the right direction.’

The front line against the Red Devils saw Brennan Johnson, Xavi Simons and Richarlison behind Kolo Muani, before Wilson Odobert replaced Kolo Muani at half-time.

‘We tried to work around what is the best way to attack the opponent in front of us, and at the same time still keep a little bit of flow,’ explained Frank.

‘We wanted two strikers, Kolo Muani and Richarlison, for the crosses, which we though was an area where we potentially could hurt United.

‘I think it worked perfectly with the first one, where Richarlison got a big chance, so that could have been an unbelievable, fantastic game plan from us. That was part of it, and we need different personalities and types for different games.

‘Wilson, he’s positive. I think he’s stepping forward, or stepping up, and doing things that look right.’

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Gary Lineker was left baffled by what a Tottenham star did during the dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United last Saturday.

Spurs were on course for another home defeat in the Premier League before Mathys Tel struck late on to cancel out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener.

And then in the 91st minute, with United down to 10 men after Benjamin Sesko limped off with injury, Richarlison headed in what appeared to be the winning goal, sparking wild celebrations in north London.

But the stadium was soon silenced as Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the dying seconds of the match to ensure the points were shared.

It was a bitter result for Tottenham and left Richarlison with a bit of egg on his face as the 28-year-old had ripped off his shirt to celebrate his equaliser and as result picked up an ultimately pointless yellow card.

Former Spurs striker Lineker understood the Brazil forward’s emotions in the moment but still criticised him for doing something that he knew would get him booked.

‘Richarlison thought he’d won the game for Tottenham, didn’t he?’ the England legend said on The Rest is Football.

‘Ripping off his shirt and then obviously they get extra time for that and then they [United] score in that extra time. I think it’s a stupid law to get a yellow card and obviously if it happens in injury time you get extended injury time.

‘But also, even though it’s a silly law, you know what it is, and I just don’t understand why [he did it]. I know you can get over excited, but you can get over excited by doing something else other than rip your bloody shirt off!

‘It’s a bit daft but I get it. It’s a big goal for him and he thought at the time he’d won the game. But honestly… footballers, glad I wasn’t one!’

Unfortunately for Richarlison, this is now the second time he has exuberantly celebrated a last-minute goal prematurely.

In April 2023, he thought he had rescued a point for Spurs against Liverpool in injury time with his first Premier League goal for the club, instantly ripping off his shirt and jumping into the away end at Anfield.

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But just a minute later, Diogo Jota scored to win the game for the Reds 4-3.

Richarlison has struggled for fitness and form since his £50million transfer from Everton to Tottenham three years ago but he has started this season well with four goals and two assists in 11 league games.

He is not the only player to be called out for excessive celebrations this season, with Hugo Ekitike getting sent off after taking his shirt off for celebrating his winner in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash against Southampton.

Saturday’s result leaves Thomas Frank’s side fifth in the table, with their next game on November 23 against league leaders and arch-rivals Arsenal.

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Ruben Amorim has been tipped to replace two Manchester United players in the January transfer window.

United left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday with mixed feelings after a dramatic 2-2 draw with Spurs.

Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half header against his former manager Thomas Frank looked to be guiding the Red Devils to another impressive win.

But Mathys Tel equalised in the 84th minute before Richarlison put Tottenham ahead in the first minute of injury-time.

It was then Spurs’ turn to be disappointed as they conceded a late goal – Matthijs de Ligt scoring from a corner – to ensure a low-quality Premier League fixture finished all square.

Patrick Dorgu started at left-wing back ahead of Diogo Dalot, who started last weekend’s draw with Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline.

The wing-back positions are integral in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system and the Old Trafford boss has been tipped to replace both Dorgu and Dalot in January.

‘I thought Patrick Dorgu did okay today and was a bit unfortunate to come off. Judging by his reaction he was really disappointed to come off as well,’ ex-Liverpool, Blackburn and Coventry midfielder David Thompson said on Stadium Astro.

‘He works hard but his end-product needs improving, he needs to lift his head up in the final third.

‘There’s potential there but I think going forward United will have to improve in that area.

‘I prefer Dorgu over Dalot in that position, Dorgu can do a job for now, I think he’s a better player than Dalot.

‘That position requires a lot of maturity but also legs so it’s quite a conundrum. That’s the system Amorim wants to play.

‘Luke Shaw used to have the athleticism to play there but the injuries do take a toll on you.

‘But you can get that back and they’re only playing once a week because they’re not in Europe so he potentially could be the problem-solver.’

Asked whether he expects Amorim to sign a new left-wing back in January, Thompson added: ‘100 per cent.’

Ex-Tottenham defender Gary Stevens also questioned whether England international Shaw can play at left-wing back going forwards.

‘Dorgu is possibly more athletic and energetic but I would go the other way and go with Dalot for now,’ Stevens said. ”That’s just a personal preference from what I’ve seen.

‘That position is hugely important for Amorim. You have to make lots of decisions in that position on when to advance and give the team that additional width or stick.

‘Luke Shaw has the experience to play there but maybe not the athleticism for that role.’

Manchester United title winner Lee Sharpe has also tipped Amorim to replace Dalot, one of the club’s longest-serving players.

Jose Mourinho brought Dalot to Old Trafford in 2018 and described his compatriot as ‘the best young full-back in Europe’.

But Sharpe told Adventure Gamers: ‘Both Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu have struggled at left wing-back for Manchester United this season.

‘I’ve always thought Dalot is a bit sloppy in his decision-making at times – he gives the ball away cheaply and gets caught out of position defensively.

‘I also don’t think he gets close enough to wingers when they’re crossing the ball, so there’s a few things in his game that I feel need improving.

‘I think it’s an area Manchester United would want to look at in January or next summer.

‘Dorgu looks like he could become quite a good player, but he’s had a couple of injuries and is a bit inconsistent with his form, so he’s not quite ready to be relied on just yet.’

Manchester United’s draw with Tottenham leaves Amorim’s side eighth in the Premier League, level on points with fifth-placed Spurs.

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Alan Shearer criticised Benjamin Sesko’s performance in Manchester United‘s 2-2 draw against Tottenham, claiming that the striker ‘had no clue what he wants to do’ in front of goal.

United signed Sesko in a £74 million deal from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window but the 22-year-old has scored just two goals in 12 appearances so far this season.

Sesko was brought off the bench in the second half against Spurs and squandered an excellent chance to restore United’s lead but after being played through on goal he showed enough of the ball to allow Mickey van de Ven to make an excellent last-ditch tackle.

Shearer branded Sesko’s display against Spurs as ‘must do better’, although the striker may now be sidelined after suffering a knee injury in the closing stages of the game.

‘Sesko struggled again,’ Shearer said on BBC’s Match of the Day.

‘He’s only scored twice in his 12 appearances and he came on today with just over half hour to go and had two really, really good chances and should have scored, to be honest.

‘They worked it really well for him to get in. He’s either got to get his shot away early or he’s got to push that ball forward quicker. He’s not going to get that amount of time in the Premier League to work it back on his right foot.

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‘This one [Sesko’s second chance] is the bigger puzzle for me. I know he’s struggling for confidence but any centre-forward knows you cannot allow the centre-half to come back at you, you’ve got to get across Van de Ven.

‘By that time he should have a picture in his head of where the keeper is and what he wants to do. I don’t think he has a clue he wants to do because I don’t even think he even knows Van de Ven is there and chasing him.

‘I know he’s struggling with confidence but it’s a big ‘must do better’. No one likes to see him coming off injured and we hope his knee is okay but they are two chances you’d expect at that level that someone has to put away.’

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Dimitar Berbatov has questioned whether Benjamin Sesko was ready to play for Manchester United in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Saturday.

Bryan Mbeumo gave United the lead in the first half but Spurs appeared to be on course for only their second win at home in the Premier League this season as late goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison put the hosts in front.

However, Matthijs de Ligt’s header in the sixth minute of injury time salvaged a draw for United.

Sesko, meanwhile, was brought on as a substitute in the 58th minute and had an excellent chance to restore United’s lead after he was played through on goal by Matheus Cunha.

But a superb last-ditch tackle from Micky van de Ven prevented United’s £74 million summer signing from getting a shot away on goal.

Sesko was then forced off with an injury in the closing stages of the game, leaving Ruben Amorim’s side with 10 men as all five of their substitutions had been made.

‘I want to be supportive, I sympathise with his situation,’ Berbatov told Premier League Productions when asked about Sesko.

‘Yes, he needed to do better, maybe take the ball more to his left foot so this way it eliminates the defender, but we cannot take away the tackle from Mickey van de Ven as well, great, great tackle.

‘Maybe that lack of confidence, playing minutes, it affects a player.

‘Then when you get injured out of it, it shows maybe you are not ready to step into the game at full speed.’

Former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe agreed with Berbatov’s verdict and stressed the importance of Sesko’s first touch after he was played through by Cunha.

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‘I said before the game, for a centre forward… when you’re rested or dropped, whatever it is, you’re not in the team and you’re disappointed, but make sure you’re ready to come on, because you can change the game, you get a moment or a chance and you can change the game,’ Defoe said.

‘I’m not saying it was an easy chance because it was a great tackle, but at the same time, when you go through it’s conviction.

‘The first touch always makes the goal, if you take the ball away from the defender then you can go and finish.

‘When he watches it back he’ll be disappointed, he didn’t actually have a shot at goal and he ends up getting injured but that’s why you have to be ready to come on and make an impact.’

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Ruben Amorim has shared an update on the fitness of Benjamin Sesko following Manchester United’s dramatic 2-2 draw at Tottenham.

United looked to be cruising to victory in north London on Saturday after Bryan Mbeumo headed his side in front but things unravelled late on.

Harry Maguire was forced to come off in the 72nd minute with what appeared to be a hamstring issue and not long after, out of nowhere, Mathys Tel equalised.

Substitute Sesko then went down after being challenged by Micky van de Ven and could not continue, leaving United with just 10 men in the final few minutes.

Richarlison looked to have snatched the three points for Spurs in injury time, but Matthijs de Ligt headed in from a corner to salvage a draw in the 96th minute.

Asked how the £71million striker was, Amorim said in his post-match press conference: ‘We have to check, he had something in his knee. We have to see.’

The head coach later added: ‘Because it’s the knee we never know [how serious the injury is]. We need Ben to be a better team.’

Amorim did not provide an update on Maguire, though the centre-back did return to the pitch after the final whistle to applaud the away supporters, but injury issues for two important players is not what Amorim needed just as his team had appeared to turn a corner.

Thankfully for United, the players now have the international break to recover before their next Premier League clash against Everton at Old Trafford on November 24.

Maguire was not called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad but Sesko has been called-up to play in Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Sweden, and it remains to be seen whether he pulls out of international duty.

The draw means United are unbeaten in their last five games and, at the time of writing, are seventh in the Premier League table.

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‘During the game we felt like the three points were there to take home,’ Amorim added. ‘But then with everything that happened, Harry Maguire and Casemiro coming off and conceding two goals… we scored again and it’s a point.

‘When you cannot win you don’t lose, once again we did that. We have so much to grow as a team, because today was our day to win this game.

‘We need to look at ourselves, we were not pressing with the same intensity, we felt comfortable but we need to understand that if we had more bravery we kill the game. But sometimes this happens, you have a better first half than second.

‘We believe in our capacity to score goals until the last minute.’

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