Roberto De Zerbi Faces Injury Setbacks Ahead of Carabao Cup

Roberto De Zerbi has been dealt an early-season setback, with James Maddison picking up a fresh injury just as he was edging back towards full fitness for Tottenham.

The playmaker barely featured in pre-season, with De Zerbi deliberately holding him back after the 29-year-old lost most of last year to surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered in the summer. Spurs have been careful. They had to be.

Even so, Maddison was deemed ready enough for a place in the squad on the opening weekend of the Premier League. He came off the bench for the final 22 minutes at Brentford, replacing Mikey Moore in a miserable 3-0 defeat that already felt like a warning sign for De Zerbi’s new regime.

Then came another twist. During that short cameo, Maddison landed awkwardly on his shoulder and needed further assessment.

Speaking before Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup second-round tie against Charlton in north London, De Zerbi confirmed the setback, but tried to play down the severity.

“Maddison suffered a small injury in his shoulder,” he said, describing the issue as minor.

The England international is not the only attacking option De Zerbi will be without. Mohammed Kudus is still not ready to return, with the Ghanaian forward continuing his recovery from a long-term quad injury that has kept him out since early January. Tottenham will have to wait a little longer to see him in competitive action.

There is better news at the back. New club captain Micky van de Ven is set to be named among the substitutes against Charlton. The defender did not play a single minute in pre-season after his World Cup campaign with the Netherlands and then missed the Brentford defeat with a small, unspecified problem, but his presence on the bench offers a timely lift.

Vice-captain Pedro Porro will also be among the replacements. The right-back, like Van de Ven, skipped pre-season and the Brentford game as he worked his way back to full fitness following Spain’s World Cup triumph in North America earlier in the summer.

All eyes, though, may drift towards a new face in attack. Savio is in line to make his Tottenham debut after completing an £85million move from Manchester City on Tuesday, a statement signing dropped straight into De Zerbi’s squad.

Up front, Dominic Solanke is set to start, handed an early chance to stake his claim as the focal point of the new-look Spurs attack, while teenager Luca Williams-Barnett will take his place on the bench, nudging a little closer to a first senior appearance.

Injuries are already testing Tottenham’s depth. Charlton in the Carabao Cup might not define their season, but it will offer an early glimpse of how quickly De Zerbi’s rebuilt squad can adapt under strain.