Tottenham suffer Pape Sarr injury worry before Sunderland trip as Roberto De Zerbi confirmed | OneFootball

New Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi faces an early setback, with Pape Sarr missing Senegal’s friendly against Gambia due to a shoulder problem. According to Senegalese media, the midfielder sat out Tuesday after playing in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru. Spurs visit Sunderland after the break.

De Zerbi was confirmed on Tuesday on a five-year deal. Spurs are one point above the Premier League bottom three.

With seven games left, they remain without a league win in 2026. Any absence for Sarr would deepen a long injury list, with Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus already sidelined or unavailable.

The appointment has drawn opposition from sections of the fanbase, linked to past comments about Mason Greenwood. Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The Crown Prosecution Service ended the case in February 2023, citing withdrawn key witnesses and new material, leaving no realistic prospect of conviction. He denied the allegations and later joined Marseille in 2024.

In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a good person who had paid a heavy price, adding that he was saddened by events and that he knew a very different person to the one depicted.

Source: Sunderland Echo