Roberto De Zerbi reacts to Mohammed Kudus injury blow as he prepares for Tottenham survival bid | OneFootball

Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that Mohammed Kudus’ latest injury setback acts as an early spanner to his plans as he prepares to try and guide Tottenham to Premier League safety.

De Zerbi will take charge of his maiden fixture as Spurs head coach on Sunday away at Sunderland with his new team on a 13-match winless league run and embroiled in a shock survival battle.

However, his job has been made even harder after it was revealed by the club that Kudus, who has been sidelined since January with a significant quad injury, has suffered fresh blow in his recovery and may now require surgery. This could rule him out for the remaining seven games of the season and potentially the World Cup, where he was set to be a key figure for Ghana.

“Yes, I started with not too big luck,” De Zerbi joked. “Kudus was in my head a crucial player, especially for the position, but we have to look forward anyway.

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Mohammed Kudus has been dealt a fresh injury setback (Getty)

“I think we have a lot of very good attackers and we have to help them, to put them in the best condition to show their qualities.”

De Zerbi later confirmed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains sidelined after undergoing surgery on a hernia issue, which means Antonin Kinsky could start at Sunderland a month on from his horror appearance in the Champions League away to Atletico Madrid.

Pape Matar Sarr will be assessed having suffered a shoulder injury on international duty with Senegal, while Rodrigo Bentancur is said to be making good progress in his recovery from a hamstring problem.

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Roberto De Zerbi will take charge of his first Tottenham match this weekend (AFP via Getty Images)

Faced with Tottenham’s familiar injury woes, De Zerbi is charged with a serious test to keep the club in the top-flight but nevertheless believes the club has everything to challenge for the title in the future, intending to aim high after penning a five-year contract.

Asked about his relatively short spells at Brighton and Marseille, De Zerbi pushed back: “I stayed three years in Sassuolo and then I left (Shakhtar Donetsk) from Ukraine when the war started.

“In Brighton I left for different problems and in Marseille maybe the same, (but) I would like to stay four or five (years), for a long time.

“In my plan, for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I’m not speaking about titles because it’s not the right moment now, but (I want) to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level.

“First of all it has to be clear to everyone. I want to work in the Premier League and I believe I deserve to work in the Premier League, but the main sense of my work is more than the league.

“If I sign my contract in April I have to be ready to stay, no matter what, in the next season. I want to stay focused on Sunderland and the other six games, but my idea is very clear.”