Tottenham Hotspur are bracing for a nervy build-up to their Premier League trip to Old Trafford this weekend, with manager Roberto De Zerbi facing a potential defensive crisis after a double injury scare during the international break.
Spurs arrive at Manchester United sitting at the bottom of the table with just two points from their opening matches, a dismal return for a squad that was strengthened by more than £300million worth of new arrivals over the summer. It took the north London side five league games to register their first goals of the campaign, and that came in a defeat at home to Aston Villa before the extended international break.
The visit to a struggling Manchester United side, themselves enduring a difficult start under Michael Carrick, represents a crucial opportunity for Tottenham to get off the mark. However, De Zerbi's preparations have been complicated by fitness concerns involving two of his key centre-backs.
Captain Micky van de Ven was withdrawn during the Netherlands' 2-1 Nations League victory over Serbia in Eindhoven after accidentally having his hand stepped on by Serbia forward Luka Jovic. The incident left the Dutch to finish the match with ten men, having already used all of their substitutions. Netherlands boss Xavi played down the severity of the problem, saying: