Mudryk Faces Ankle Setback as De Zerbi Expresses Frustration
Tottenham’s plan to relaunch Mykhailo Mudryk’s career has stalled almost as soon as it started.
The winger injured his ankle in training this week, according to British reports, dealing Spurs and Roberto De Zerbi a sharp early-season setback just days after his debut.
De Zerbi did not hide his frustration.
“(With) Mudryk, it was a stupid injury and we hope he can come back as soon as possible. For him and for us,” the Tottenham manager said on Friday. “For him because he suffered too much and for us because we lost an important player.”
Mudryk, 25, arrived at Spurs on deadline day from Chelsea on a season-long loan, a high-profile switch across London that promised a reset after a turbulent spell at Stamford Bridge. He was eased in with a 15‑minute cameo in last weekend’s goalless draw at Nottingham Forest, showing flashes of the direct running De Zerbi knows so well.
Then came the setback.
Reports say the Ukraine international is now expected to be out until after the upcoming international break, halting his momentum just as he was edging back into competitive rhythm.
“He played 15 minutes in Nottingham, he played well, but it's in the normal process when one player doesn't play for a long time,” De Zerbi said, trying to frame the blow within a longer-term rebuild.
This is not the first time Mudryk’s progress has been abruptly checked.
He rose under De Zerbi at Shakhtar Donetsk, his explosive form in Ukraine earning a big-money move to Chelsea in January 2023. But he never fully settled there, struggling to command a regular starting place despite making 73 appearances, scoring 10 goals and providing 11 assists.
Then his career was thrown into turmoil.
In 2024, an adverse analytical finding for meldonium in an anti-doping test put him on the sidelines. The Football Association initially handed him a four-year ban. Mudryk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and his suspension was later reduced after an agreement between the FA and the World Anti-Doping Agency, opening the door to this season’s loan move and a reunion with De Zerbi.
Tottenham saw an opportunity: a player with pace, pedigree and a point to prove, working again under the coach who once unlocked his best football.
Now they will have to wait.
Spurs can ill afford more problems. They have taken just one point from their first three Premier League games and sit 17th in the table, a start that has already sharpened the mood around the club. Everton visit north London later on Saturday, with Tottenham searching for their first league win and already without one of the forwards earmarked to change their attacking dynamic.
Mudryk’s story at Spurs is only one game old. The question is how long they must wait before chapter two begins.
