Mohammed Kudus injury setback is not what Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi wanted to hear

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The Tottenham Hotspur boss has not even taken charge of a match yet but has already found out about the club's constant injury problems

Mohammed Kudus is believed to have had a setback just as he was set to return to action for Tottenham after a long-term quad injury.

Kudus had originally suffered a serious quad tendon injury in the draw against Sunderland at home back in January but looked to be on the way back this month. Spurs' former interim head coach Igor Tudor had provided a positive update on the attacker before his departure.

"So we have this big three weeks after the game on Sunday. He will probably do some part of the things with the squad maybe 10 days [after the break]," the Croatian had told football.london. "I don’t know I’m not sure. We need to check but he is progressing very well. Already a little bit with the ball."

However, Kudus is yet to appear in any footage from training and football.london understands that the Ghana star has faced a setback, although it is currently unclear whether it is a new injury or a further problem with his quad. There are some suggestions that an operation may be required and if so that could potentially place the remainder of his Premier League season and World Cup participation in doubt.

The 25-year-old's return would have been a major boost to Tottenham's new head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Kudus had provided nine goal involvements in 24 Premier League and Champions League matches for Spurs before his injury and the Italian had tried to sign him during his spell in charge of Brighton.

De Zerbi joins Spurs at a time when they have nine players out injured, including Pape Matar Sarr who picked up a shoulder injury on international duty with Senegal. The club's constant injury crises of recent seasons have hampered Tudor and Thomas Frank and Ange Postecoglou before them.

Kudus' setback comes at a time when former Ghana star Michael Essien believes the Spurs man is the country's big hope after his performances at the previous World Cup.

"If I start talking about him [Kudus], we won't finish! I think he has showcased himself to the football world. He’s one of the biggest talents, and for Ghana, he's our star. We have to protect him and give him all the love and confidence he needs," he told FIFA.com.