Tottenham’s nightmare season has seen them suffer another blow with news that one of their defenders has suffered a ‘severe’ injury blow.
Spurs’ winless run continues on Saturday, when Brighton’s Georginio Rutter scored a 95th-minute equaliser at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side twice threw away a lead in their latest quest to secure a first Premier League win of 2026.
That draw, coupled with Nottingham Forest’s 4-1 victory over Burnley on Sunday, means that Spurs could find themselves four points off safety with five games to play, should West Ham United win at Crystal Palace on Monday.
Spurs defender suffers ‘severe’ injury
Injuries have played their part in Spurs’ recent woes, with skipper Cristian Romero last week being ruled out for the rest of the campaign, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is recovering from hernia surgery.
Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies and Mohammed Kudus remain sidelined long-term, and although Rodrigo Bentancur returned to action on Saturday and James Maddison was back in the matchday squad, a Spurs loanee is the latest to suffer a fresh injury blow.
Tottenham loaned 19-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic out to Hamburg in the summer, shortly after the Croatia international joined the club in a £12million deal.
He would quickly make an impact in Germany, making 27 appearances for the Bundesliga side in all competitions as he established himself as a key part of the Hamburg defence.
Vuskovic was again called up by the Croatia national side during the last international break, winning his third and fourth international caps when he started the friendlies against Colombia and Brazil, but has made just one appearance since his return.
Hamburg boss Merlin Polzin last week confirmed that Vuskovic had undergone intensive treatment for a knee injury and again missed out at the weekend, when Hamburg lost 3-1 to Werder Bremen. Now, German outlet Bild reports that the injury is ‘much worse’ than originally feared, claiming that the teenager’s knee joint is more ‘severely damaged than previously thought’.
They add that the Spurs man has not trained with his team-mates since April 7, with Hamburg clearly missing him in his absence, as they have shipped in seven goals in their last two matches. The report does not indicate when Vuskovic is expected to return.
While news of the injury will be a blow to Hamburg and Vuskovic ahead of this season’s run-in, it will also be of concern to Tottenham ahead of what will be a crucial summer for the team, whatever happens over the next few weeks.
Vuskovic - who is valued at €60million by Transfermarkt - has enjoyed an impressive season in Germany, which has seen the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich monitor his progress.
The Tottenham defence is likely to undergo significant changes this summer, whatever division the club finds itself in, and if the young Croatian is not part of the Spurs back-line next term, he could be a valuable asset in the transfer market.
