Tottenham hit by new damage blow days earlier than Roberto De Zerbi’s first sport in cost – with fears key man pivotal to relegation battle may miss remainder of season

Mohamed Kudus has suffered a fresh injury setback and delivered a blow to Tottenham ahead of Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge.

Kudus was back in training with the first team after three months out when he sustained a problem to the same thigh muscle injured during a 1-1 draw against Sunderland in January.

Precise time scales are not yet known and the damage still being assessed but the Ghanaian could require surgery, which would bring a premature end to his first season at Spurs.

It would also seriously threaten his chances of playing in the World Cup where Ghana are set to face England in the United States, in June.

Spurs signed winger Kudus, 25, from West Ham for £55million last summer.

He flickered through the early stages of the season but only scored three goals in 26 appearances in all competitions before he was struck down by the injury.

His was the first for five bad injuries for Spurs in five successive games in January, followed by Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall.

Mohamed Kudus has been sidelined since January with a thigh injury

Richarlison and Bergvall came back to the first team in March and Bentancur is thought to be not too far away. Davies, who broke an ankle, has been ruled out for the season.

Now Kudus has been hit with a setback, a recurrence of the same injury.

It will be a disappointment for new boss De Zerbi, who was appointed to replace Igor Tudor, the interim boss who took only one points from five Premier League games and went out of the Champions League, after replacing Thomas Frank in February.

De Zerbi’s first game is at Sunderland on Sunday.

Spurs are on a run of 13 Premier League games without a win and will slide into the relegation zone if West Ham beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday.