Tottenham's Injury Updates Ahead of Premier League Opener

Tottenham have been handed a timely boost ahead of their Premier League opener at Brentford, with Mateus Fernandes, James Maddison and Destiny Udogie all back in training. The cloud hanging over the squad is Micky van de Ven, who remains a major doubt for the short trip across London.

New head coach Roberto De Zerbi has had to juggle fitness concerns all summer. Maddison and Fernandes saw their minutes carefully rationed in pre-season, while Van de Ven and Udogie did not feature at all. It has left the Italian trying to knit together a new side without ever seeing his preferred XI on the pitch.

Udogie’s situation is especially delicate. The full-back is being eased back after a string of muscular problems last season, his workload tightly controlled as Spurs try to avoid a repeat. Maddison is on a similar path, still climbing back towards full sharpness after the anterior cruciate ligament injury that wrecked his campaign last summer.

Even so, both are pushing hard to be involved at the Gtech Community Stadium. So is summer signing Fernandes, who has been hampered by a calf issue in recent weeks but has now rejoined the main group and is targeting a place in the matchday squad.

The worry sits at centre-back. Van de Ven was not seen in training at Hotspur Way and is increasingly unlikely to feature against Brentford. The Netherlands international, fresh from signing a lucrative new contract, did not play a single minute in any of De Zerbi’s pre-season squads after returning from the World Cup, leaving a significant hole in the heart of the defence.

Up front, there is another question mark. Dominic Solanke is also a doubt, having been used sparingly in pre-season after missing most of last term with ankle and hamstring problems. His availability could shape how bold De Zerbi is willing to be in his first league line-up.

Spurs head to Brentford on Saturday evening with intent. An aggressive summer has seen the north London club spend £237million on six new signings, a clear statement that last season’s 17th-place finish will not be tolerated again. Now the money has been spent, the next verdict comes on the pitch.