A number of Tottenham players returned to Hotspur Way on Monday following their mid-season break. With domestic football currently on pause at present as the World Cup is in full swing, those not involved in the tournament in Qatar were given time off by Antonio Conte and his coaching team.
Following a hectic schedule since the start of September with games on the calendar every few days, the mini break will certainly have been welcomed by the players so they can relax and recharge ahead of the festive fixtures. A handful of the Tottenham squad not involved in the World Cup were still in action, though, as the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Matt Doherty and Bryan Gil represented their respective nations.
Those returning to Hotspur Way were put through similar tests and drills that occur on the first day of pre-season training in the summer. Once those tests were done by the club's coaching staff, the squad headed back out onto the pitches to begin ball work.
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Goalkeepers Fraser Forster and Brandon Austin were two of the players back at the club's Enfield training base on Monday. The duo were joined by fellow shot-stopper Alfie Whiteman as he has returned to the club following the end of his loan spell with Swedish side Degerfors IF.
The academy graduate started 21 league games during the 2022 campaign but a head injury sustained early on against AIK meant that he watched their final six fixtures from the substitutes' bench. Defenders Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Emerson Royal were also present at Hotspur Way for the first day back.
Given Tottenham's current struggles at right wing-back, the next couple of weeks will give Spence and Emerson, as well as Doherty, ample opportunity to work with Conte and catch his eye before they return to action on Boxing Day away at Brentford. Midfielders Oliver Skipp, Yves Bissouma and Harvey White were also involved in training, as was attacker Dejan Kulusevski.
Missing 10 games for Tottenham after sustaining an injury on international duty in September, the Swede made a huge impact on his return to Premier League action with assists in the Liverpool and Leeds United home matches. Now having time to work on his game and also return to peak fitness, Kulusevski will be raring to go when Tottenham restart their league campaign away at Brentford Community Stadium.
Japhet Tanganga, Ryan Sessegnon and Lucas Moura will be looking to make their mark over the next few weeks but the trio were not spotted in the selection of training photos released by the club. The same goes for Doherty, Sanchez and Bryan, although the club confirmed on their official website that "a number begin their breaks following their respective duties for their countries in international friendlies over the period".
Due to the lack of first-team players at training with a large number of the squad involved at the World Cup, the numbers were boosted by some of the academy team stepping up. Charlie Sayers, Makism Paskotsi, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Kallum Cesay, Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Romaine Mundle, Alfie Devine, Nile John and Yago Santiago were all involved.
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