A senior Tottenham star has decided to train at Hotspur Way over the next three weeks instead of linking up with his national side.
The majority of the Spurs squad will be away on international duty over the next few weeks, with Roberto De Zerbi only having a small number of players to work with.
Apart from the four injured players, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Conor Gallagher, Savio, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marcos Senesi and Mathys Tel and Destiny Udogie will all remain at the club after not being called up by their national sides.
Additionally, Pedro Porro pulled out of the Spain squad after picking up an injury during Tottenham’s loss to Aston Villa, and now another senior attacker has decided to follow suit.
Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus will remain at Hotspur Way during international break
According to Africa Soccer, Mohammed Kudus will not be joining the Ghana squad for the international break.
The Tottenham winger was named in Carlos Queiroz’s squad last week for the upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
However, the former West Ham star has now opted out of the qualifiers and has decided to remain with his club during the break.
With Kudus only recently having recovered from a long-term injury, the 26-year-old has decided to continue working towards full fitness at Hotspur Way rather than featuring for the Black Stars.
Kudus was a major miss for Tottenham last season following the quadriceps injury he suffered in January. His pace and attacking threat from wide had already become clear during the opening months of the 2025/26 campaign, including two assists on his Premier League debut for Spurs against Burnley.
Keeping Kudus fit could be particularly important this season given Tottenham’s early struggles in front of goal. Spurs have scored just two Premier League goals so far, both coming in Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa.
His withdrawal from international duty could therefore prove beneficial for Tottenham, particularly after the scrutiny placed on the club’s injury record over the past year. With Roberto De Zerbi already working with a squad short of several players, avoiding another prolonged absence for one of Spurs’ main attacking threats would be significant.
Dejan Kulusevski expected to step up training during international break
Dejan Kulusevski has returned to full training after recovering from a knee injury which has kept him out of action for nearly 500 days.
Roberto De Zerbi has said that Spurs will manage the Swede’s recovery very carefully, given how long he has been out of action.
This three-week break may prove timely for Kulusevski as he builds up his fitness, and Spurs fans will be hoping that it won’t be long before we see the attacking midfielder back in action.
Supporters will need to continue to be patient with Kulusevski’s return, it will be a slow and phased return to first team action with gradual minutes introduced from the bench when he is in a place to be part of a Tottenham match day squad.