Mudryk's Ankle Injury Hits Spurs Hard as Season Struggles Continue
Tottenham’s gamble on Mykhailo Mudryk has hit its first major bump before it ever really got going.
The winger injured his ankle in training this week, according to British reports, handing Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi an early headache and cutting short the Ukrainian’s attempt to relaunch his career in north London.
De Zerbi did not hide his frustration.
“With Mudryk, it was a stupid injury and we hope he can come back as soon as possible. For him and for us,” he told reporters on Friday. “For him because he suffered too much and for us because we lost an important player.”
Mudryk, 25, arrived at Tottenham on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day, a late move that carried both risk and intrigue. He had just begun to reappear on the Premier League stage, coming off the bench last weekend and showing flashes in a 15-minute cameo during Spurs’ goalless draw at Nottingham Forest.
Then this.
Reports suggest he is likely to be out until after the upcoming international break, halting his momentum almost as soon as he found it.
De Zerbi knows Mudryk as well as anyone in England. The pair worked together at Shakhtar Donetsk, where the winger’s explosive form helped earn his big-money move to Chelsea in January 2023. That transfer was supposed to launch him into the elite. Instead, his time at Stamford Bridge stalled.
Across 73 appearances for Chelsea, Mudryk scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists, numbers that never quite matched the hype. His situation darkened further in 2024 when an anti-doping test produced an adverse analytical finding for meldonium.
The fallout was severe. The Football Association issued a four-year ban, a punishment that threatened to derail his prime years. Mudryk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and his suspension was later reduced after an agreement between the FA and the World Anti-Doping Agency, opening the door for this season’s loan and a shot at redemption.
That is what makes this setback sting even more for player and manager alike. De Zerbi had spoken about a “normal process” for a footballer who has been away from competitive action for so long.
“He played 15 minutes in Nottingham, he played well, but it's in the normal process when one player doesn't play for a long time,” the Italian said, trying to frame the interruption as part of a longer journey back.
Spurs could use his spark. Their start to the Premier League season has been flat: one point from three matches, 17th in the table, and already playing catch-up. The attack has looked short on incision and confidence. Mudryk, with his pace and direct running, was meant to change that dynamic, even if only from the bench at first.
Instead, as Everton arrive in north London on Saturday, De Zerbi must plan without the winger he specifically pushed to bring in. Tottenham’s season was already edging towards an early test of character. Now they must ride it out without one of the players they hoped would help drag them up the table.
