OPINION
Tottenham have had no luck with injuries this season, with one player after another being struck down to force Mauricio Pochettino to chop and change his side.
The various setbacks, which range from minor blows and short-term absences to more serious issues keeping the Argentine manager’s stars on the sidelines for months, have been all too frequent during the current campaign, and their fortunes are not getting any better with the latest reports coming from north London.
ESPN journalist Ben Pearce has revealed on his personal Twitter account that the Lilywhites will have to make do without Eric Dier and Danny Rose until after the international break, while Victor Wanyama is another casualty in a big blow for the club over the coming week.
With Dier and Wanyama both operating as defensive minded central midfielders, it gives Pochettino a real headache as to who is going to operate as a midfield enforcer – and while Harry Winks and Mousa Dembele are likely to be those chosen to start the next games, the injury setbacks have been a blessing in disguise for Oliver Skipp.
The 18-year-old, one of the club’s hottest youth prospects, has finally made the step up to the first team with a debut from the bench against West Ham in the League Cup, and having made his senior bow, it appears he is destined to not only sit on the bench for future games but pick up some minutes, with Pochettino regularly substituting his midfielders to keep energy levels up in the centre of the park.
This is massive for the youngster and this shock opportunity to shine could be the stepping stone to much greater things – just like Harry Winks back at the start of last season.
The injury blows are detrimental to the players but for the club, they could see the next big thing emerge as a result.