Roberto De Zerbi will not have long to work with the first group of Tottenham players before his side are in friendly action ahead of the new season.
23 Tottenham players have returned from their summer break, having been pictured at Hotspur Way over the last few days.
Even three of Spurs’ injured players, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus, were spotted doing gym work, as they step up their rehabilitation, although it is not clear yet when they will return to action.
New Tottenham signing Sandro Tonali is still waiting for his work permit to be finalised before linking up with his new teammates, following his £100m move from Newcastle United.
Tottenham have little over a week before their first pre-season friendly
Spurs only have eight more days left until they are in friendly action, with the Lilywhites scheduled to play a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday, 22 July.
MK Dons will be the visitors to Hotspur Way, where the friendly will be held, which will be De Zerbi’s first opportunity to see some of his new signings in action.
The Lilywhites will then make the trip to New Zealand and Australia for a pre-season tour, where they will take on Auckland FC, Sydney FC, and Chelsea, before returning to London for three more friendlies.
Here is their club’s full summer schedule:
| Opponent | Date | Kick-off (BST) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK Dons | Wednesday, 22 July | 4:00pm | Hotspur Way, London (behind closed doors) |
| Auckland FC | Sunday, 26 July | 11:00am | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Sydney FC | Wednesday, 29 July | 11:00am | Sydney, Australia |
| Chelsea | Saturday, 1 August | 10:45am | Sydney, Australia |
| Getafe | Saturday, 8 August | 3:00pm | Hotspur Way, London (behind closed doors) |
| Hoffenheim | Saturday, 15 August | 3:00pm | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London |
| Hoffenheim | Sunday, 16 August | 1:00pm | Hotspur Way, London (behind closed doors) |
Many Spurs players will not be available for the pre-season tour to Oceania
12 Tottenham players were involved in the World Cup this summer, none of whom have returned for pre-season yet, with FIFA mandating a three-week break after major tournaments.
10 of those players played in the knockout stages of the World Cup, and four more are still involved, with Djed Spence, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi making it to the semi-finals.
That means that a big chunk of the Tottenham first-team squad is set to miss the pre-season tour to Australia and New Zealand, which is not ideal preparation for De Zerbi.