Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder Mousa Dembele is set to miss out on playing against Hull City later this evening.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told the Guardian that Mousa Dembele has had the same problem with his foot for three seasons.
Dembele has endured a stop-start campaign so far, with the Belgian midfielder struggling to consistently stay off the treatment table.
And Pochettino admits that the central-midfielder is not as fit as he was last term.
“It is the same foot, as always,” Pochettino said. “It has been two or three years with problems – it is not a new problem. He feels bad about the situation because he plays one game and feels some problem. He is not free like he was last season to play, play, play.”
Dembele is expected to miss out on playing in Tottenham’s match against Hull City later this evening.
That is a major blow to Spurs, who rely on Dembele’s power and creativity in their midfield.
Dembele was brilliant last season for Tottenham, and he has put in some excellent performances this time around, despite his fitness issues.
In Dembele’s absence, Victor Wanyama, Harry Winks and Eric Dier are the leading candidates to fill the spaces in central-midfield for Tottenham.
If the Lilywhites are able to beat Hull later this evening, they could move into the top four, if Manchester City are beaten by Watford.
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