Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has given an injury update on star midfielder.
Tottenham Hotspur are preparing for the visit of Charlton Athletic in the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.
The Lilywhites were beaten comprehensively 3-0 by Brentford in West London at the weekend, leaving head coach Roberto De Zerbi extremely frustrated. It was the worst possible start the fans could have imagined, especially after an expensive squad rebuild over the summer. Spurs were second-best in every department of the pitch, as Brentford thoroughly deserved all three points.
Roberto De Zerbi provides injury update on James Maddison
Recent reports suggested that James Maddison suffered a shoulder injury during the defeat to Brentford. The playmaker was deemed fit to start on the bench, and with Tottenham training 3-0, he came on as a substitute.
However, the England international could not impact the game and seemingly got injured after landing awkwardly on the pitch following a challenge. So, there have been concerns over whether James Maddison would be fit to feature against Charlton Athletic in midweek.
Addressing in his pre-match press conference (h/t Football London), Roberto De Zerbi provided an injury update on Maddison. He confirmed that Maddison suffered a “small injury” on his shoulder and will miss the cup tie.
Another injury blow for Maddison
The 29-year-old had limited involvement during pre-season, with De Zerbi eager not to rush his comeback after he missed most of last season following surgery on an ACL injury sustained in the summer. He was limited to a handful of appearances at the back end of last season, as Spurs narrowly escaped relegation at the expense of West Ham.
The creative midfielder managed only 22 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Brentford at the weekend. Unfortunately, the Englishman has now suffered a setback in his bid to return to full fitness. This means De Zerbi doesn’t really have a natural playmaker currently available, with both Xavi Simons and Dejan Kulusevski also sidelined.
With Maddison ruled out, we could see either Lucas Bergvall or Conor Gallagher start in the No.10 role vs. Charlton. Hopefully, the England international’s shoulder injury is not serious, and he quickly recovers. Having a fully fit and running Maddison will be an asset for De Zerbi’s Tottenham this season.