Tottenham Hotspur look set to be without loan signing Mykhailo Mudryk for an extended spell after it emerged the winger is facing a lengthy layoff due to an ankle injury.
The 25-year-old had been expected to push for more playing time in Saturday's clash with Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but that hope has now been ruled out entirely. According to reports, Mudryk will not be involved in the fixture and is instead set to be sidelined well beyond the upcoming international break.
The timeline being discussed suggests the injury could keep Mudryk out of action for anywhere between six and eight weeks, a significant setback for a player who would have wanted to make an immediate impact following his move to north London. Should the more pessimistic end of that estimate prove accurate, Mudryk may not be fit again until the start of November.
The absence comes at a particularly demanding juncture in Tottenham's calendar. Before the international break, Spurs are due to face Everton, Liverpool and Aston Villa - three fixtures that will now go ahead without their new arrival. Once football resumes, Tottenham travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on October 10, another game Mudryk appears certain to miss.
October continues to be a busy month for the club, with matches against Coventry and Crystal Palace rounding out the schedule. Sandwiched in between is a London derby at Chelsea, though even a swift recovery would not make Mudryk eligible for that particular fixture. Because he is on loan from Chelsea, Premier League regulations prevent him from facing his parent club during the season, meaning that game is off the table for him regardless of his fitness.
Taking the worst-case scenario of an eight-week absence into account, Mudryk could end up missing as many as six, and potentially seven, matches in all. That list of missed fixtures would include heavyweight encounters against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United - exactly the kind of high-profile tests in which Tottenham would have hoped to call upon him.
On a more optimistic note, the most favorable outcome being floated is that head coach Roberto De Zerbi could have Mudryk back in contention by the time Crystal Palace visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 31. That would represent the earliest realistic point for a return, assuming his recovery progresses smoothly and without setbacks.
For now, though, Tottenham must plan for a significant stretch of fixtures without one of their new attacking options. The timing is unfortunate given the caliber of opposition on the horizon, with matches against Liverpool, Villa and United representing exactly the sort of tests a squad wants its full complement of attacking talent available for.
De Zerbi will need to find alternative solutions in the final third as his side navigates this congested period, with Mudryk's return now realistically not expected until the very end of October at the earliest. Tottenham's coaching staff will be monitoring his rehabilitation closely in the coming weeks, mindful of the balance between managing his recovery properly and getting him back on the pitch as soon as it is safe to do so.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (standard-football).