Tottenham's Pre-Season Friendly Highlights: Maddison and Fernandes Return
Tottenham’s final tune‑up before the new Premier League season comes with a split-screen feel: key names finally re-emerging, others still nowhere to be seen.
Behind closed doors at Hotspur Way on Sunday, Spurs face Hoffenheim for the second time in less than a day, less than 24 hours after a comfortable 3-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where teenager Mikey Moore lit up north London. This time, the cast list looks very different.
Maddison back at last
The headline is James Maddison. The playmaker starts and makes his first appearance of pre-season, a significant step after an unspecified issue that followed his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury which wiped out most of his last campaign. For a side that often lacked craft when he was missing, seeing him in the XI again is no small moment.
Roberto De Zerbi has shuffled his pack for this second meeting, drafting in a number of players who sat out Saturday’s win. The game may be hidden from public view, but the selection tells its own story: this is about minutes, rhythm and late answers before Brentford away next weekend.
Big-money Fernandes joins the fold
Alongside Maddison, Mateus Fernandes also returns. The £85million signing from West Ham has had a stop-start introduction to life at Spurs, his involvement clipped by a minor calf problem that limited him on the club’s tour of New Zealand and Australia. His inclusion against Hoffenheim offers a first real glimpse of how he might slot into De Zerbi’s midfield.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr are back in from the start as well, bolstering the centre of the pitch. On the left, Brazilian full-back Souza – the January arrival already attracting speculation over a move away – gets another chance to stake his claim.
Kevin Danso, sent off shortly after coming on in that wild 2-1 win over Chelsea in Sydney earlier this month, is named in defence again, joined by stalwart Ben Davies.
Brandon Austin starts in goal, while De Zerbi leans on youth elsewhere: Luca Williams-Barnett, Tye Hall and Damola Ajayi all get nods from the off. On the bench sits 15-year-old goalkeeper Mikel Jack, a marker of just how deep Spurs are willing to dip into the academy.
Big absences linger before Brentford
For all the encouraging returns, the worry lines haven’t gone away.
With the Premier League opener at Brentford looming, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie remain out and have still not played a single minute of pre-season. For a side that leaned heavily on their pace and aggression in the back line last year, their continued absence is a glaring concern.
Up front, Dominic Solanke is again missing. He has not featured since playing 45 minutes against Chelsea on August 1 in his second outing of the summer. Mohammed Kudus is also still not ready for match action, despite rejoining training after recovering from a serious quad injury.
Dejan Kulusevski is back working on the grass after the knee problem that has sidelined him since May 2025, but his competitive return is expected to take more time. Pedro Porro has yet to feature at all in pre-season, only just back from an extended break following Spain’s World Cup triumph.
So Spurs head into their final friendly juggling optimism and anxiety. Maddison and Fernandes are back in the thick of it. The kids are getting their shot. But with a week to go, will the missing spine of this team be ready when the real thing starts at Brentford?
