Roberto De Zerbi handed huge injury boost in first Tottenham training session

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Roberto De Zerbi handed huge injury boost in first Tottenham training session

Tottenham stars trained under Roberto De Zerbi for the first time on Friday with a key player featuring after injury concerns

CommentsSpursKieran Horn19:25, 03 Apr 2026Updated 19:31, 03 Apr 2026

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Roberto De Zerbi has been handed an injury boost on his first day working with Tottenham's players as Mathys Tel was spotted in Friday's session. The 20-year-old limped off during the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest and later withdrew from international duty with France under-21s.

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Tel has been a bright spark during a dismal last few weeks and it was therefore a worrying sight to see him hobble off last month with an injury statement confirming that he would not be heading out over the domestic pause causing further concern.

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However, those worries have eased with Tel spotted in the short clip uploaded to Tottenham's social channels of De Zerbi's first training session at Hotspur Way. The club's new head coach will work with the group for the next seven days before his debut in the dugout next Sunday away to Sunderland.

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Conor Gallagher, Lucas Bergvall and Joao Palhinha have also overcome injuries recently which saw them involved in De Zerbi's high-octane session. From the 73-second clip uploaded to X, a possession drill was being coached by De Zerbi with the Italian heavily involved in the action.

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Despite the return of Tel, in addition to Gallagher, Bergvall and Palhinha being back, De Zerbi has numerous injuries to contend with and that tally actually increased over the international break as Pape Sarr picked up a shoulder problem playing for Senegal.

He was also not clearly spotted in any of the clips or photos that emerged from Friday's session on the grass. There are also concerns over whether Guglielmo Vicario will be given the all clear following his hernia surgery.

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There is hope that Mohammed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur will be back involved having started individual work outside last month. Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma are others pushing to return in April.

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are Spurs' two long-term absentees who are working to return before the end of the current campaign. Wilson Odobert however, is not expected back until late 2026 because of a serious knee injury.

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The Lilywhites could really do with some of those players being back over the next few weeks given their immediate risk of Premier League relegation.

During his first interview in charge, De Zerbi fronted that issue and made his thoughts perfectly clear on the squad he is now working with.

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He said: "I'm very happy and very proud to be here. I consider Tottenham one of the most important clubs in the world, so I'm very happy. I have a big responsibility, but it's a big challenge for me, and I'm looking forward to start and to work with the players and to win some games.

"I watched a lot of games, especially in the last period. I know very well the players. I love football, so I watch many, many games per week. I know everything.

"I know it's a tough moment for Tottenham, but I know very well it's a tough moment. It's a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham. I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment.

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"I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players and we have to work on their confidence and qualities. They have to show what they are and what they are good at playing.

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