Tottenham Hotspur are facing an injury crisis with seven central midfielders currently sidelined, according to ESPN.
The situation was worsened when Moussa Sissoko limped off against Barcelona last night, with Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele yet to return from World Cup duty.
Victor Wanyama has flown home with a knee problem, while Harry Winks and Josh Onomah missed the pre season trip to America with knocks. 18-year-old Tashan Oakley-Boothe has also picked up a problem.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke about the situation after last night’s match: “We need to assess Moussa tomorrow, in the next few days, to see what happens. We hope it’s a minor injury but he feels something in his hamstring,” he said.
“Victor Wanyama has gone back with Tashan to London because they need to see the doctor there. We’re going to assess him in the next few days and see what happens.”
OPINION
This is exactly the sort of scenario that Pochettino would have been wanting to avoid. With no new players signed thus far, and with several key men still on post-World Cup holiday, the timing could have been far better for Spurs. To lose so many players in one position on the pitch is desperately unlucky, but perhaps it will motivate the club to intensify their lacklustre transfer business. The Tottenham manager has spoken recently about how important Sissoko is to the team, so to lose him at this late stage of pre season is a real blow. The fact that several of the club’s younger central midfielders are also sidelined with knocks is the nail in the coffin. Dier and Dembele are not set to rejoin the club until 6 August, just five days before their Premier League opener. They might find themselves getting thrust back into the thick of things rather sooner than they might have liked.