Tottenham face Sunderland on Sunday with key forward Mohammed Kudus dealing with a fresh injury setback and possible surgery, while Roberto De Zerbi prepares for a testing first match in charge as the club sit 17th in the Premier League and battle to avoid relegation.

Kudus has been unavailable since 4 January, when a serious quad injury forced an early withdrawal against Sunderland. The Ghana international joined Tottenham from West Ham last summer and has contributed two goals and five assists across 19 Premier League appearances during the current campaign.

The latest issue comes at a difficult moment for Tottenham, who have managed a troubled season marked by repeated fitness problems. Those absences have contributed to a long run of poor results, leaving Tottenham in 17th place and putting the club in real danger of relegation from the top flight.

Tottenham confirmed that Kudus had recently rejoined full team sessions, raising hopes of a return. However, medical staff have now halted that progress while specialists assess whether surgery is needed. Any operation would likely rule Kudus out for a significant spell during the decisive closing weeks.

The club issued a short update outlining the situation. It stated: “We can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury. He had returned to team training during the past week, however will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery.”

The Tottenham statement on social media added extra detail about how the issue began during the first meeting with Sunderland in January. The message read:

De Zerbi’s first match as Tottenham head coach now comes against the same Sunderland side that injured Kudus previously. Sunday’s fixture offers De Zerbi an immediate chance to halt the slide, but he may have to do so without one of Tottenham’s most productive attacking players.

Recent history suggests new Tottenham managers often start well. Only one of the previous 10 Tottenham bosses lost a first Premier League match, with six wins and three draws. The exception was Igor Tudor, whose opening league game ended in a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in February.

De Zerbi has usually begun strongly at new clubs. The coach won the first league match at three of the last four teams managed, at Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille. The only early slip came in the Premier League, when Brighton drew 3-3 with Liverpool in De Zerbi’s debut.

The combination of Kudus’s uncertain recovery, Tottenham’s low league position and De Zerbi’s debut places significant focus on Sunday’s meeting with Sunderland, which now carries importance for both the relegation picture and the new coach’s attempt to steady Tottenham’s season.