Roberto De Zerbi first injury blow at Tottenham confirmed

New Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi might have to begin his reign without the service of midfielder Pape Sarr, who was unable to feature for Senegal in their friendly with Gambia.

De Zerbi was confirmed as Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, which does not contain a relegation release clause, despite the north London club being only one point above the Premier League bottom three.

With just seven games left to play this season, De Zerbi will have to work out his magic so as not to play next season in the Championship.

He will now start by dealing with his first injury worry, an addition to the injury crisis facing the club.

Senegal midfielder Sarr joined up with his national team last week and featured in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru, but was left out of the squad to face Gambia on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury, according to Senegalese media.

Pape Matar Sarr during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Izzy Poles – AMA/Getty Images)

Any potential injury to Sarr would be untimely for De Zerbi, who has already discovered a lengthy list of absentees at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground, with Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus all previously sidelined or currently unavailable.