Tottenham Hotspur hit with another 'severe' injury blow to defender: report

Brighton's Italian head coach Roberto De Zerbi reacts during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on February 3, 2024. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Roberto De Zerbi's side currently sit in the relegation zone (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham’s nightmare season has seen them suffer another blow with news that one of their defenders has suffered a ‘severe’ injury blow.

Spurs’ winless run continues on Saturday, when Brighton’s Georginio Rutter scored a 95th-minute equaliser at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side twice threw away a lead in their latest quest to secure a first Premier League win of 2026.

That draw, coupled with Nottingham Forest’s 4-1 victory over Burnley on Sunday, means that Spurs could find themselves four points off safety with five games to play, should West Ham United win at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Spurs defender suffers ‘severe’ injury

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Injuries have played their part in Spurs’ recent woes, with skipper Cristian Romero last week being ruled out for the rest of the campaign, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is recovering from hernia surgery.

Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies and Mohammed Kudus remain sidelined long-term, and although Rodrigo Bentancur returned to action on Saturday and James Maddison was back in the matchday squad, a Spurs loanee is the latest to suffer a fresh injury blow.

HAMBURG, GERMANY - DECEMBER 07: Luka Vuskovic of Hamburger SV (L) celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Fabio Vieira (R) during the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and SV Werder Bremen at Volksparkstadion on December 07, 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Luka Vuskovic is currently on loan at Hamburg (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham loaned 19-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic out to Hamburg in the summer, shortly after the Croatia international joined the club in a £12million deal.

He would quickly make an impact in Germany, making 27 appearances for the Bundesliga side in all competitions as he established himself as a key part of the Hamburg defence.

Vuskovic was again called up by the Croatia national side during the last international break, winning his third and fourth international caps when he started the friendlies against Colombia and Brazil, but has made just one appearance since his return.

Hamburg boss Merlin Polzin last week confirmed that Vuskovic had undergone intensive treatment for a knee injury and again missed out at the weekend, when Hamburg lost 3-1 to Werder Bremen. Now, German outlet Bild reports that the injury is ‘much worse’ than originally feared, claiming that the teenager’s knee joint is more ‘severely damaged than previously thought’.

They add that the Spurs man has not trained with his team-mates since April 7, with Hamburg clearly missing him in his absence, as they have shipped in seven goals in their last two matches. The report does not indicate when Vuskovic is expected to return.

Luka Vuskovic in action for Hajduk Split in the UEFA youth League in April 2023.

Spurs signed the young defender in 2025 (Image credit: Getty Images)

While news of the injury will be a blow to Hamburg and Vuskovic ahead of this season’s run-in, it will also be of concern to Tottenham ahead of what will be a crucial summer for the team, whatever happens over the next few weeks.

Vuskovic - who is valued at €60million by Transfermarkt - has enjoyed an impressive season in Germany, which has seen the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich monitor his progress.

The Tottenham defence is likely to undergo significant changes this summer, whatever division the club finds itself in, and if the young Croatian is not part of the Spurs back-line next term, he could be a valuable asset in the transfer market.

Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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