Mateus Fernandes, James Maddison and Destiny Udogie are all back in training ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League opener at Brentford, though Micky van de Ven is still a major doubt for the weekend.
Roberto De Zerbi has had plenty of fitness headaches this pre-season, carefully managing minutes for Maddison and Fernandes while Van de Ven and Udogie sat out every warm-up match entirely. Udogie has been handled with care following recurring muscle issues last season, while Maddison is being gradually reintroduced to full training as he continues recovering from the ACL injury he picked up last summer. Both are now pushing for involvement against Brentford, and Fernandes is also hopeful of featuring after a recent calf issue.
Van de Ven’s situation looks less promising — he wasn’t spotted training at Hotspur Way. The Dutch international, who recently signed a lucrative new deal to commit his future to the club, hasn’t appeared in any of De Zerbi’s pre-season squads since returning from the World Cup, casting real doubt over his availability this weekend. Dominic Solanke is another fitness question mark, having seen limited pre-season action after a season disrupted by ankle and hamstring trouble.
Spurs head to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening looking to make a statement after a big-spending summer, having committed £237 million to six new arrivals as they look to move on from last season’s disappointing 17th-place finish. Standing in their way is a Brentford side aiming to build on an encouraging first season under Keith Andrews and push for European qualification.
