Football London

The Italian has been speaking about what he has been doing behind the scenes with the young Tottenham Hotspur midfielder

Roberto De Zerbi's desire to turn Archie Gray into a superstar means he will not follow his predecessors' lead in using the Tottenham youngster as a jack-of-all-trades.

The 20-year-old has not even been a Spurs player for two full seasons yet but has made 80 appearances for the club. He has done so though across a range of different positions. Injuries galore at the north London club have ensured that Gray, naturally a central midfielder, has been deployed as a right-back, left-back, wing-back and as a centre-back as well as in the centre of the pitch.

Even in midfield he has played as a six, an eight and a couple of times as a 10 within matches. The result has been plenty of minutes and exposure to Premier League, Champions League and Europa League football, but also a lack of development in the central position in which many have tipped him to become a star.

However, De Zerbi has made a clear decision to use Gray as a midfielder, even if that has meant him taking a back seat for now as more experienced heads get a run in the team. He started against Brighton, came off the bench against Fulham but has been unused as a substitute in the past two wins at Wolves and Aston Villa as Joao Palhinha has taken his chance to impress in the midfield for the new head coach.

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Gray should not fear though as De Zerbi has very high hopes for the midfielder and made it clear that he has been holding individual meetings with the former Leeds youngster at the club's Hotspur Way training complex to ensure that he makes it to the very top.

"He is very young, but big potential as a player," he said. "I think he can become the future. I am sure he can become the future of this club, the captain of this club and he has to understand better what will be his position on the pitch. "He can play in a lot of positions, but maybe I would like him to be more specific in one position. We are working on that, in individual meetings with individual clips for me and anyway he is an important player."

So while Gray may be frustrated right now after a season which has brought 34 appearances, two goals and three assists so far, the young midfielder is set to be a big part of De Zerbi's plans going forward rather than simply a Swiss Army Knife for the north London club.

Tottenham have only three matches remaining and Roberto De Zerbi is waiting to see if he will get any of his injured players back before the season ends

Roberto De Zerbi has three games to keep Tottenham in the Premier League and he will be hoping to have some of his injured players back to help.

De Zerbi has quickly discovered just how extreme Spurs' injury problems are. He lost two crucial players within his first week at the club in Mohammed Kudus and Cristian Romero and then soon after had Xavi Simons suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury which has ruled him out of the World Cup and the rest of this year.

The 46-year-old Tottenham boss will be hoping for some change on the injury front, or at least no more injuries, and some of those who he has lost to come back before the end of the season.

On Thursday, De Zerbi at least reported no fresh injuries after the win at Villa Park, saying: "No. I'm happy because we are working well with all players. Another very important week. We have no problems."

Here's the latest on those nine players in the Tottenham treatment room ahead of Monday night's match against Leeds United.

Dominic Solanke

The 28-year-old striker has had a season ravaged by injury with that ankle problem in the first half of the campaign and then he suffered a hamstring injury during the win at Wolves last month.

Solanke missed the victory at Aston Villa and De Zerbi gave football.london an update on the England striker on Thursday.

"About Solanke, he's improving very quickly. I don't know, for this game, I don't know if he can be available," he said. "We hope for the next game in Stamford Bridge."

Return date: Potentially Leeds but maybe more likely Spurs' game at Chelsea on May 19

James Maddison

Maddison has been back in full training for a while after his long battle back from his anterior cruciate ligament injury and it is now nine months since the injury suffered in pre-season in Seoul.

Spurs have understandably been taking it cautiously with the midfielder and while he has been on the bench for the past three games under De Zerbi, he was never going to play a part. Maddison has been stepping up his warming up during matches but it has always been in white sport socks rather than match socks.

football.london asked De Zerbi on Thursday if Maddison could play a part against Leeds and get a few minutes at the end.

"I'm thinking about James Madison because I'm watching a top, top player. Maybe he's not ready yet to play, but as a physical condition, not for the rhythm, for the intensity of the game. We are playing in the Premier League, the most difficult league in terms of intensity and rhythm," he said.

"But as a player, it's great, as a coach, watching one player like this. Especially for me, because I was number 10. And I'm sensitive in number 10 players like Xavi Simons, Maddison, Kulusevski, Kudus. We have a lot of number 10s, but I want to see."

Return date: Perhaps a couple of minutes at the end against Leeds on Monday night

Guglielmo Vicario

Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery in March 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".

That has not been the case though as the goalkeeper is yet to return to training and De Zerbi provided an update on his compatriot on Thursday afternoon.

"No, Vicario is not ready yet. I don't know what will be the plan but he's suffering because he would like to help his teammates but he's not available yet," he stated.

Return date: Time is running out on this season

Xavi Simons

Just as he was flourishing under De Zerbi so Tottenham's injury hell grabbed Xavi during the win at Wolves with the club's fourth ACL injury in the past 16 months or so.

The Dutchman underwent his knee surgery this week and will now begin the long road back and as with Maddison, looks set to document the steps along his journey to keep the Tottenham fans updated on the way.

Xavi posted an image of himself after surgery on that right knee with the caption: "I went missin, on a mission just perfecting my craft. Intro done. Now we rise."

Return date: Early 2027 if we're sticking with the nine month timeline

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Cristian Romero

Romero's season with Tottenham was done with that knee injury suffered at Sunderland after Brian Brobbey pushed him into Antonin Kinsky and escaped a red card the Premier League's Key Match Incident panel later said he should have had.

No surgery was required but the skipper is not expected back before the end of this month due to the injury in his medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The Spurs captain could yet 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 last month told Cuadro Técnico, a television show on Fox Sports: "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 the World Cup

Mohammed Kudus

Kudus returned to training in De Zerbi's first week after three months out with a serious quad tendon injury only to suffer a setback that 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."

It is yet to be stated whether Kudus will end up having surgery or not and as the club normally announce surgeries, it would suggest he has not yet, perhaps with a hope still of making the World Cup.

Return date: Not for Spurs this season anyway

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski stated that he expects to be back playing in time for this summer's World Cup after 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.

"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 said: "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."

Return date: Time is running out for a Spurs return

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.

He did travel though in a club tracksuit on Sunday with the squad to Villa, in a non-playing capacity, watching the warm-ups and going on the pitch with the team as they celebrated at the final whistle. That might mean that Davies is nearing a return or it might just mean he wanted to involved in the squad feeling again.

Return date: Unknown

Wilson Odobert

Odobert suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February. He underwent surgery and is now working his way through the stages of his rehabilitation with the club's medical staff.

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, and a little ahead of Xavi, in going through at least nine months or so out of the game.

Tottenham host Leeds United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday as they look to move further away from the relegation zone

Tottenham Hotspur have been hit with more than their fair share of injury worries over this season, with Roberto De Zerbi providing the latest update on his squad during a press conference on Thursday.

Spurs will be looking to take another big step toward Premier League safety this weekend when they host Leeds United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. De Zerbi’s side go into the game looking to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League.

Spurs took advantage of West Ham’s slip-up against Brentford last weekend by recording a 2-1 away win over Aston Villa. First-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison earned their side a huge three points and moved them one point clear of 18th-placed Hammers.

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De Zerbi was, however, given an injury worry with Richarlison, limping off the Villa Park pitch. With that in mind, here’s the latest from the Tottenham treatment room ahead of the clash against Leeds.

Richarlison

Injury: Unknown.

The forward limped off during the win over Aston Villa last weekend, with reports that he didn’t take part in training on Wednesday ahead of the clash against Leeds on Monday night.

What has been said : “No,” De Zerbi said when asked if there were any fresh injuries . “I'm happy because we are working well with all players. Another very important week. We have no problems.”

Potential return date : Vs Leeds (H), Mon 11 May.

Dominic Solanke

Injury: Hamstring

The striker picked up the injury during the win over Wolves, causing him to miss last weekend’s clash against Aston Villa.

What has been said : “He's improving quickly, I don't know for this game, we hope for the next game at Stamford Bridge."

Potential return date : Vs Chelsea (A), Tues 19 May.

Guglielmo Vicario

Injury: Hernia surgery

The goalkeeper has been out since the March international break after undergoing surgery on a hernia and he might have played his final game for Spurs with Inter Milan keen on a move for the Italian.

What has been said: “He's not ready yet. I don't know the plan... he's suffering because he would like to help his team-mates, but he's not available yet."

Potential return date: Unknown.

Xavi Simons

Injury: Knee

The midfielder suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture during the win over Wolves and faces an extended time on the sidelines.

What has been said: “We can confirm that Xavi Simons has ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee,” the club said. “The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of our Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

“Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and, following that, will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team.”

Potential return date: 2027.

Cristian Romero

Injury: Knee.

The club captain suffered a knee injury during the 1-0 defeat against Sunderland last month. He will miss the remainder of the season, but could make a return in time for the World Cup.

What has been said: “I hope. I don’t know if there is a chance to play one [World Cup] game, two games, I don’t know. I hope so. But I don’t know.”

Potential return date: World Cup.

Mohammed Kudus

Injury: Quad

The forward had a setback in his recovery from injury when returning to training last month.

What has been said : “He had returned to team training during the past week,” the club said. “However, he will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery. We will provide any relevant further updates in due course.”

Potential return date: Unknown.

Wilson Odobert

Injury: Knee

The winger suffered a ruptured ACL back in February.

What has been said : “We can confirm that Wilson Odobert has sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee,” the club said at the time. “Wilson will see a specialist next week before undergoing surgery, and will then commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff.”

Potential return date: November.

Dejan Kulusevski

Injury : Knee

What has been said: “I'm sorry for him because he was one of my perfect players. He is a very specific player for me, like Kudus, like Romero. I hope for him that he can play in the World Cup because for a player [it] is the best period of their career. I don't know the situation very well.”

Potential return date: Unknown.

Ben Davies

Injury: Ankle.

Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur boss said during his press conference ahead of the Premier League match against Leeds United

Roberto De Zerbi had various bits of positive news at his press conference on Thursday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's Premier League game against Leeds on Monday night.

Spurs are hoping to keep their momentum going under the new man in charge as they welcome Daniel Farke's side. The north London club won back-to-back matches in the Premier League for the first time since the opening weeks of the season with their victories at Wolves and West Ham.

De Zerbi must get his side to win a Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since early December last year against Brentford.

At his press conference, the head coach delivered injury updates on Dominic Solanke and Guglielmo Vicario, as well as discussing whether James Maddison is now ready to play some football after three matches as an unused substitute.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to De Zerbi. Here's the full transcript from the Italian's press conference at Hotspur Way.

Any injury updates?

No. I'm happy because we are working well with all players. Another very important week. We have no problems.

Is Guglielmo Vicario ready to play yet?

No, Vicario is not ready yet. I don't know what will be the plan but he's suffering because he would like to help his teammates but he's not available yet.

Would Joao Palhinha be someone you'd like to keep for the next season?

How confident are you that on Monday you can achieve three in a row against Leeds and how important is it to have the fans on board?

First of all, we're going to play against one of the best teams in this moment because in the last five, six games they won against Man United. They drew in Bournemouth, playing well. They won at home two times, Wolves and Burnley. For that, we have a big respect. We can't think in a different way. We have to keep this mentality.

We must remain humble. Nothing changes. We have to prepare an important game. The same way we are playing. We didn't play so well in Wolves, but in the first 30 minutes, we played okay. Against Brighton at home, we played 90 minutes and extra time very well. We have to stay focused on this type of performance. This type of attitude. This type of spirit and showing the quality of the players.

With Conor Gallagher, how pleased are you with his goal against Villa as well as his performance and his leadership?

I'm happy because I think from the perspective of Conor, he came in January in a difficult situation. He had some problems at the beginning, his physical condition, his environment. To understand the different club, different style of play, different dressing room. But he's an important player, the first level of the players.

So I'm happy to watch him in this condition, in this confidence, with these performances. I think, and I said after the game, when Gallagher plays well, his team plays with one player more than the opponent.

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You mentioned Leeds United, how impressed and how surprised have you been with them?

Their style is very clear. They have a great organisation on the pitch, with the ball and without the ball. They have good players, Calvin-Lewin, Okafor, Tanaka, I think, and Ampadu are all very good players. Not to fight against relegation, but higher level. But the focus is on us. Not because we become arrogant, but because we have the quality. The quality is enough if we play like we know, like we can, to win the game, for sure.

It was fascinating to watch your system against Villa, how Palhinha dropped into a back three, Porro would bomb on, Udogie was running through like a striker at times, is that something we're going to see every week from you with such a fluid system or was it just for Villa?

I would like to change, it depends on the different games, because the principles in football are very important. The mental part is crucial, but also the strategy can be very important.

But we will change something in the occupation of the spaces, for sure. But I wouldn't like to give too many ideas, too many instructions. Especially in this moment, because I don't want the players to lose energy thinking what is the plan.

No, I want the players to play with freedom, play with confidence, following the plan. Because football is 11 players together and not like tennis or golf, one player. But anyway, the simple things, the clear things, I think are enough.

Just quickly on two players, can we have an update on Dominic Solanke, and James Maddison, is he ready to play any minutes yet?

I'm thinking about James Madison because I'm watching a top, top player. Maybe he's not ready yet to play, but as a physical condition, not for the rhythm, for the intensity of the game. We are playing in the Premier League, the most difficult league in terms of intensity and rhythm.

But as a player, it's great, as a coach, watching one player like this. Especially for me, because I was number 10. And I'm sensitive in number 10 players like Xavi Simons, Maddison, Kulusevski, Kudus. We have a lot of number 10, but I want to see.

About Solanke, he's improving very quickly. I don't know, for this game, I don't know if he can be available. We hope for the next game in Stamford Bridge.

Talking of Stamford Bridge, you were at the Chelsea-Forest game, I just wondered what you took away from that match, what you thought about it?

Yes, because at home and it was a day off. I don’t like a day off so I found the way to stay focused on football.

A lot of the reaction in the media to Tottenham’s win at Aston Villa focused on Aston Villa’s changes and they were called a disgrace...

Yes, but for Nottingham Forest no? Nottingham Forest, the first XI was maybe more changes than Aston Villa did, no? And first half 2-0 for Nottingham Forest and (has) anyone said nothing? No. I think Aston Villa have cash, Lindelof, I don’t know how many years at Manchester United, Mings, the captain of Villa, Maatsen, one of the best left-backs in Europe, regarding Tielemans, Tielemans is normally in the starting XI, Rogers, Sancho, Barkley and Abraham as a forward and striker, I think was a great first XI. I don’t know if they are better or worse. I can say one thing we played without Romero, Kulusevski, Kudus, Solanke, Xavi Simons, Maddison and maybe more players than Villa. And it is better if the people speak about us than we speak about them.

Has it surprised you or have you quickly learned this thing does happen with Tottenham?

No, no, in Italy we are used to thinking in the bad way about this situation, but it is not true. It is not true.

Archie Gray you described before as the future of Tottenham, he has not had many minutes but what do you like about Archie and how important is he long-term?

He is very young, (but) big potential as a player. I think he can become the future. I am sure he can become the future of this club, the captain of this club and he has to understand better what will be his position on the pitch. He can play in a lot of positions, but maybe I would like him to be more specific in one position. We are working on that, in individual meetings with individual clips for me and any way he is an important player. Palhinha did not play the first three games and the fourth was one of the best players on the pitch.

It was a huge year of development for one of Tottenham's bright young academy players as they starred in the Championship this season

Tottenham striker Will Lankshear says he will always be "a yellow" after his "unforgettable" season at Oxford United came to an end.

The 21-year-old striker hit 12 goals for the Championship side despite their struggles which eventually ended in relegation with two games to go. Lankshear became a popular figure with the club's fans thanks to his battling style and finishing, which brought two very different but both spectacular goals in the 4-1 win in their final home game against Sheffield Wednesday that was ultimately not enough to keep United up due to results earlier in the day.

The young Spurs forward, who was joined by Tottenham team-mate Jamie Donley at Oxford in the second half of the campaign, took home a double at United's end of season awards, winning the men's Golden Boot and the club's Young Player of the Year award.

It was a huge developmental loan spell for Lankshear as he played 47 matches with 16 goal involvements and he posted a heartfelt message on social media with a montage of moments across his season.

"Although it wasn’t the end we all wanted I’d like to thank all the staff, players and fans @oufcofficial you made my time here an unforgettable one. I wish everyone the very best in there futures and I will always keep an eye out for Oxford United in the future. Once a yellow always a yellow Keep fighting," he wrote.

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Lankshear is set to be a man in demand this season after proving himself with a struggling club in the Championship and the striker will be hoping new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi gives him a chance to show what he can do with the north London club's first team this summer.

Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield has no doubt that the attacker is destined for the very top.

"His finishing, dedication to his craft and single-minded desire to be the best he can be, I think he’s a credit to himself," he said. "There’s so much to admire about him, and he’s going to go to the top."

Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi has been brutally blasted by Jesse Marsch for his behaviour with a Marseille star

Roberto De Zerbi has been slammed by Canada head coach Jesse Marsch for his treatment of Ismael Kone while at Marseille. Footage of the two needing to be separated by players and staff at the French club's training ground emerged last August, with De Zerbi left furious by his actions in that session.

The now-Tottenham boss could be heard telling Kone to 'go inside' before shouting in his direction 'call your agent'. Kone ended up leaving Marseille for Sassoulo in that transfer window and now Marsch has come out to defend the Canadian midfielder, alongside providing some choice words for De Zerbi.

He said: "It wasn't easy for him with De Zerbi in Marseille. De Zerbi was a real a**hole to him, but he stayed strong. He never doubted himself. He found a new environment, and look at him thriving today. I repeat: De Zerbi behaved like a real a**hole to him.

"When I took over the reins of Canada, I thought Ismael was a raw player, but full of talent. And since then, I have talked to him a lot about discipline and concentration, and everything that this implies in his daily life: his diet, his sleep habits, his way of training, his way of playing, as well as his overall intelligence.

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"He went to Italy to play for a newly promoted team in a very organised league, and he played an incredibly important role in that team, having an excellent season. Look at the progress he was able to make despite the difficulties."

De Zerbi, on the other hand, essentially doubled down on his opinion of Kone in the documentary that showed their altercation.

He said: "He is one of the players with the most potential at Olympique Marseille, but who didn't always behave well. Someone who had highs and lows that were too big for a player who is ready for Olympique Marseille."

De Zerbi has thus far overseen four games at Tottenham and picked up a hugely important seven points in their battle to avoid relegation.

Last Sunday's win at Aston Villa, coupled with West Ham losing to Brentford just over 24 hours earlier, has seen the Lilywhites take control of their own fate as they now sit one point outside the bottom three.

The Hammers again play first this weekend as they host leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon while Tottenham welcome Leeds United to north London on Monday evening.

Spurs conclude the campaign against Chelsea and Everton while West Ham play Newcastle United and Leeds. While Tottenham head to Stamford Bridge several days after their relegation rivals' trip to St James Park, the 10 final games of the season kick off at the same time.

Nottingham Forest all but secured safety after their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday with Vitor Pereira's side unbeaten since mid-March while also navigating the latter rounds of the Europa League.

Roberto De Zerbi is holding his press conference on Thursday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's Premier League game against Leeds on Monday night.

The Italian has chosen an early meeting with the media, four days ahead of the fixture against Daniel Farke's men, as Spurs look to keep their momentum going under the new man in charge. The north London club won back-to-back matches in the Premier League for the first time since the opening weeks of the season with their victories at Wolves and West Ham.

Combined with the draw against Brighton that should have been a win and a defeat at Sunderland that should have been a draw or better, especially as it was deemed after the game that Brian Brobbey should have been sent off, De Zerbi has got Tottenham believing in themselves again.

Now Spurs must wait to see what happens with relegation rivals West Ham as they host table-topping Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, but regardless of what occurs at the London Stadium they must finally remember how to win a match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Lilywhites have not won a Premier League game in N17 since early December last year against Brentford.

At his press conference, De Zerbi will deliver injury updates on Dominic Solanke and Guglielmo Vicario as well as confirming whether James Maddison is now ready to play some football after three matches as an unused substitute.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to De Zerbi. Scroll down for his latest updates from the Italian's press conference at Hotspur Way.

It's time for the latest episode of our Talking Tottenham podcast with our Spurs correspondents Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor

James Maddison will still have a crucial part to play in Tottenham's relegation battle in the coming weeks, according to our Spurs reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor.

The 29-year-old England international is now nine months on from that anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered during Spurs ' pre-season tour in South Korea and has been on the bench for the past three matches for Roberto De Zerbi's side. However, Maddison has not featured so far as he and the club time his return for the right moment.

When asked on Friday afternoon at his press conference ahead of the 2-1 win at Aston Villa about when the midfielder will return to Premier League action, De Zerbi had said: "I don't know, I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things. But I think he can be important in the next three games."

In the latest episode of their Talking Tottenham podcast, our Spurs reporters Alasdair and Ryan discussed Maddison among many topics, with Alasdair pointing out that the Tottenham midfielder could be seen wearing small sports socks rather than the team's yellow match socks throughout the warm-up and match at Villa Park, suggesting he was not ever coming on.

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Both our reporters believe Maddison will make his comeback on Monday night with a few minutes against Leeds and have tipped him to have an important moment for Spurs before the season ends.

They discussed plenty more, including whether the north London club will take up the option to sign Joao Palhinha permanently from Bayern Munich at the end of this campaign.

Tottenham have shared an update on Xavi Simons after the Netherlands midfielder injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) against Wolves last month

Tottenham have confirmed that Xavi Simons has undergone surgery after suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. Simons came off midway through the second half of last month's 1-0 win against Wolves after going down following a challenge from Matt Doherty.

Roberto De Zerbi cut a concerned figure in his post-match press conference and it was later revealed that Simons has torn his ACL and is set for a lengthy spell out on the sidelines. Now, more than week after sustaining the injury, Simons has since gone under the knife and is now poised to begin his load road to fitness.

In an update on X on Tuesday evening, Tottenham posted a picture of Simons in his hospital bed along with the caption: "Surgery complete [black tick emoji].

"We'll be with you every step of the way during your recovery @xavisimons [white love heart emoji]."

Shortly after Tottenham's statement, Simons then took to Instagram to issue a message to the Spurs faithful.

Simons, who has made 41 appearances during his debut season in north London, said: "I went missin, on a mission just perfecting my craft. Intro done. Now we rise [clock emoji, joystick emoji]."

A number of his Tottenham teammates shared messages of support. Richarlison started: "Good recovery bro [folded hands emoji, call me hand emoji]." Micky van de Ven put a smiling face with hearts emoji, while Kevin Danso posted a unamused face emoji and a red love heart emoji.

In a further Instagram story, Simons then shared a picture which appeared to show his injured knee and the scale of the scar from the surgery.

Simons is expected to be out until at least 2027. He will therefore miss the remainder of this season, the World Cup with the Netherlands and the first half of the following campaign.

Despite Simons' absence, Tottenham recorded a 2-1 win at Aston Villa on Sunday to move them out of the Premier League bottom three and strengthen their survival hopes.

Goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison had put Spurs into a two-goal lead, and despite Emiliano Buendia's late strike for Villa, it proved to be just a consolation and De Zerbi's side held on for a precious three points.

Speaking post-match, De Zerbi said: "I'm very happy, very pleased for the performance. We won a great game against a great Aston Villa. Okay, they have to play on Thursday, a very important game for them but, anyway, it's always very tough playing against[Unai] Emery, against this Villa and in this stadium, a very nice stadium, and for that I'm really pleased.

"I'm really pleased for the performance with the ball, without the ball. Without the ball we showed a great courage and with the ball, great qualities. I'm happy for this type of performance, more than three points, because three points, okay we are one point more than West Ham, but the most important thing tonight, is to play a great game, to believe more and more in ourselves, to believe in our qualities.

"Then we have to keep the focus on the improvement we have to do, because we have to play like the first half for 90 minutes. I didn't like the goal we conceded, but there are a lot of positive things today."

Tottenham now sit in 17th, one point above 18th-place West Ham in the race for survival with three matches left. Spurs host Leeds United next before travelling to Chelsea and then welcoming Everton to north London.

Here's the latest news on Tottenham's big group of loan players with many of their seasons coming to an end at the weekend

A number of Tottenham's loan army came to the end of their season away from the north London club at the weekend.

Spurs sent out 18 players across the world on loan this season and most of those in the Football League ended their campaigns at the weekend with mixed success and minutes, while others are still plying their trade in Scotland, Germany, Italy and South America.

This summer offers a reset of sorts for many of those coming back into the world of Tottenham. For they will be looking to impress new head coach Roberto De Zerbi in the months ahead and ending their loan spells with a flourish will only help their cause before they make their case to the Italian in pre-season.

Here's how every one of Tottenham's large group of loan players got on across the globe in the past seven days.

Mikey Moore (Rangers)

Mikey Moore suffered both joy and pain this week. First he picked up the PFA Scotland Premiership Young Player of the Year award for his exploits at Rangers.

The 18-year-old attacker had already won Rangers' Young Player of the Year award last month and the big league prize was just reward for his efforts over this long campaign in turning around a tough start to become one of the key players at Rangers despite being so young.

Unfortunately, the weekend only brought pain for Rangers as they threw away the lead at Hearts in the big title clash to lose 2-1 at Tynecastle.

Moore started the match but got a five in the Daily Record's player ratings with the review: "Named PFA Scotland Young player of the Year on the eve of the game but the on-loan Spurs kid was guilty of over playing in moments when the simple ball looked the better option. Starting to show signs of weariness after a long campaign."

Moore has played 44 games at Rangers, getting 2,518 minutes of football under his belt, with eight goal involvements in 30 Scottish Premiership appearances.

Rangers are now seven points off leader Hearts with three games to go, starting with a trip to Celtic for the final Old Firm Derby of the season on Sunday.

Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Luka Vuskovic and his knee finally returned to action on Saturday for the final 12 minutes of HSV's game at Eintracht Frankfurt and he helped inspire them to a 2-1 win which ensured their Bundesliga spot next season with two games to.

The 19-year-old had been making headlines in both Hamburg and Croatia after missing almost a month of football with a 'knee contusion,' which is effectively bruising that causes plenty of discomfort.

Spurs are believed to be readying a bumper new contract for Vuskovic as they aim to remind him that he will be a big part of their future amid interest from Europe's biggest clubs.

The Croatian has made 28 appearances and played 2,472 minutes for the Bundesliga outfit and was named in the recent league team of the year.

Kota Takai (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Another young Tottenham centre-back in Germany, Kota Takai was an unused substitute as Borussia Monchengladbach won 1-0 against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Japan international has played just four minutes of football in the past two-and-a-half months around picking up a muscle strain.

Takai has made just eight appearances during his loan spell in the Bundesliga and has endured an injury-hit time since arriving in Europe last summer.

Will Lankshear & Jamie Donley (Oxford United)

Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley signed off their season with relegated Oxford with a tough 2-0 defeat at high-flying Millwall in the Championship on Saturday.

Lankshear had taken home a double at the Oxford United end of season awards. With his 12 goals for the struggling side he earned the Men's Golden Boot and also the club's Young Player of the Year award. It was a huge loan spell for the 21-year-old striker as he played 47 matches with 16 goal involvements.

Donley arrived halfway through the campaign following a difficult spell at Stoke and after a painful injury on his debut for Oxford he bounced back to start most of their games in the final months of the campaign.

"Thank you to all the fans and staff for all the support for the second half of the season. Unfortunately we didn’t reach our goal but I’ve enjoyed playing for this great club," the 21-year-old midfielder posted on Instagram.

Alfie Devine (Preston North End)

Alfie Devine ended a fantastic loan at Preston with a disappointing 3-1 defeat at home against Southampton at the weekend.

The 21-year-old midfielder has recorded eight goals and eight assists from midfield in 48 appearances across a big season of development in the Championship. Preston have an option to buy Devine this summer, thought to be around £4.5million, which is believed to be steep for the Championship side but boss Paul Heckingbottom said the club would do everything they could to try to sign the midfielder.

"He's a good lad. He's done well, he's improved, he's growing up," he said. "I can see why [he’s so popular] We want good players and I think there's more to come from him, definitely."

Devine, who will have a lot of interest this summer both from clubs in England and abroad, told BBC Lancashire last month that he would decide his next steps and take time to think about it.

"Can’t thank this club enough for this season, support from start to finish has been brilliant and so grateful to have been part of it, thank you," he posted on Instagram after the weekend's game to plenty of love from the Preston fans.

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Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips completed his second season with Stoke in the Championship with a 2-0 defeat at Bristol City as the Potters ended the campaign in 17th spot.

The 20-year-old centre-back, who is on the shortlist for the EFL Championship's Young Player of the Season award, played more minutes in the league than any other player aged 20 or under this season.

Phillips got 44 games under his belt for Stoke this season, recording one assist and earning plenty of plaudits across 3,701 minutes of action in all competitions.

Yang Min-hyeok (Coventry)

Yang Min-hyeok ended his loan at Coventry in the way most of it played out by not being involved again in the matchday squad as they won 4-0 at Watford on Saturday.

The 20-year-old was left out of the final 15 league games of the season for Frank Lampard's title winners and while he was not starting regularly in the first half of the season, the winger had made 16 appearances for Portsmouth, scoring three goals with one assist, before switching to the table-toppers.

Other than having a promoition on his CV, it was a poor loan move as the South Korean got just 29 minutes of football in the Championship for them across three matches.

Manor Solomon (Fiorentina)

Manor Solomon did play at the weekend and got the full 90 minutes on the left wing as Fiorentina lost 4-0 at Roma on Monday.

The Israel international is getting a string of starts now after six weeks out with a grade 1-2 hip flexor strain in his right thigh has helped the Italian side move away from the drop zone in Serie A.

The 26-year-old winger has scored two goals in 14 matches for the Italian side as a fixture on the wings.

Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central)

Alejo Veliz was an unused substitute for Rosario on Sunday as they drew 1-1 with Tigre at home in the league.

Veliz has netted five goals in 18 appearances so far this campaign and is expected to head to Bahia at the end of the season after Tottenham agreed a deal with the Brazilian side to sell Veliz once his current loan at Rosario ends. A £7.8m (9m euros) deal was agreed with £871k in add-ons (1m euros) plus a 20% sell-on clause.

Dane Scarlett (Hibernian)

Dane Scarlett got nine minutes from the bench as 10-man Hibernian lost 2-1 at home to Scottish Premiership giants Celtic on Sunday.

The 21-year-old striker has made 11 appearances north of the border with one assist and 472 minutes to his name. He has just a year left on his contract at Tottenham and a decision will likely be made this summer about what comes next for him after 27 senior appearances for the north London club.

Oliver Irow & George Abbott (Mansfield Town)

Oliver Irow signed off his Mansfield Town loan with his second goal in as many matches in their 5-4 final day win against high-flying Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon in League One.

The 19-year-old netted with a composed low finish to make it four goals in 17 league appearances during his first experience of senior football to help Mansfield to 10th place in League One – their best finish in 39 years.

Irow posted a heartfelt message on social media after his final game, saying: "I am very thankful for my time at this club. It will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you to the fans, players and staff at @mansfieldtownfc for everything."

football.london reported last month that George Abbott suffered a serious quad injury which will keep him out until pre-season, bringing a premature end to his campaign.

Yusuf Akhamrich (Bristol Rovers)

Yusuf Akhamrich ended his campaign at Bristol Rovers with a 1-1 draw at Notts County on Saturday, coming off the bench at half-time to help them come from behind.

Rovers boss Steve Evans had told The Bristol Post about the exciting 20-year-old winger's future: "He's a real gifted talent, but don't discount that he'll come back in the summer. We'll work hard to try and make that happen, but ultimately we have to respect Tottenham Hotspur, and we have to respect Yusuf that he has to do what's right for him, but he knows my thoughts.

"His Mum and Dad and his brother were here today, and they've said that I've treated him like my son, and that's how you should treat young players."

Akhamrich posted six goals and two assists in his 19 League Two matches with Rovers.

Tyrese Hall (Notts County)

Tyrese Hall was on the other side against Akhamrich as he played the final 31 minutes of Notts County's season in that 1-1 draw.

The 20-year-old Jamaica international midfielder signed off a successful season with eight goals and two assists across 1,850 minutes in 39 appearances after heading out of Tottenham on his first loan.

Damola Ajayi (Bromley)

Damola Ajayi was not in the squad for League Two winners Bromley's final game as they won 3-1 at home against Walsall on Saturday.

The 20-year-old winger registered 30 appearances across his spells at Bromley and Doncaster Rovers in a season of development across League One and Two.

Alfie Dorrington (Salford City)

Alfie Dorrington got 13 minutes from the bench in Salford's 0-0 draw at home with Crawley Town, who escaped relegation on the final day.

The 20-year-old centre-back has 11 appearances so far for City since switching from Aberdeen during the winter window and will now look forward to the play-offs in which Salford travel to Grimsby City for their semi-final first leg on Sunday before the return the following Friday.

Aaron Maguire (Hampton & Richmond Borough)

Aaron Maguire played every minute of his first three matches for National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough and the 21-year-old goalkeeper started for them at Ebbsfleet last month in their penultimate game of the season.