Tottenham's Injury Update: Maddison, Udogie, and Fernandes Back in Training

Tottenham have been handed a timely boost before their Premier League opener at Brentford, with Mateus Fernandes, James Maddison and Destiny Udogie all back in training – but doubts remain over Micky van de Ven.

New head coach Roberto De Zerbi has spent much of pre-season juggling fitness concerns around key players. Maddison and Fernandes had their minutes carefully rationed over the summer, while Van de Ven and Udogie did not feature at all as Spurs tried to protect them before the campaign began.

Udogie’s situation is particularly delicate. The dynamic full-back endured a run of muscular problems last season, and Spurs’ medical staff have been cautious with his workload. Maddison is on a similar path, still building up sharpness after the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered last summer.

Both, though, are pushing hard to be involved at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening. So is summer signing Fernandes, who has been hampered by a calf problem in recent weeks but has now rejoined the main group.

The concern sits squarely with Van de Ven. The Netherlands defender, fresh from signing a lucrative new contract, was not seen in training at Hotspur Way and did not appear in any of De Zerbi’s pre-season squads after returning from the World Cup. With the opener looming, his chances of facing Brentford look slim.

Dominic Solanke is another doubt. The forward has been used sparingly in pre-season after missing most of last year with ankle and hamstring injuries, leaving De Zerbi with a potential headache in attack as well as in defence.

Spurs head across London intent on making noise. After a summer outlay of £237million on six new signings, the message from the north London club is clear: last season’s 17th-place finish is a line in the sand, and Brentford away is where they intend to start proving it.