October 15, (THEWILL) – Two positive COVID-19 test results have hamstrung Tottenham’s preparations for Sunday’s Premier League match against Newcastle.
There has been no official statement from the club about which two players have tested positive, but multiple sources have confirmed the news hours after Nuno Espirito Santo said in his press conference that the latest international break had left him with “huge issues”.
Both players trained with Tottenham’s first team on Thursday and were found to have contracted COVID-19 after tests within the last 24 hours.
The affected players, who have not been named but are thought to be Son Heung-min and Bryan Gil, must now isolate for ten days, ruling them out of not only the weekend match against Newcastle, but also the Europa League tie against Vitesse Arnhem and the Premier League match against West Ham.
Nuno already had a selection headache for the trip to St James’ Park, with four key members of his squad missing out due to international duty in South America.
He will be without Davinson Sanchez, who has been playing for Colombia, while Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero have been playing for Argentina. Emerson Royal, on the other hand, was a member of Brazil’s World Cup qualifying squad.
Nuno simply said in his pre-match press conference when asked if the quartet would play: “They are travelling now. They will join us tomorrow and then we’ll see.”
The former Wolves manager also gave an update on winger Steven Bergwijn, who has not played for the club since suffering an injury in a 1-0 win over Watford in late August.
“He [Bergwijn] joined us yesterday. He is totally integrated in the group. He did well. No pain and now about getting back to his highest levels of fitness,” Nuno revealed. “After the international break there are always problems. We have problems but I won’t say them before the game.”
To make matters worse, Spurs are likely to come against a buoyant Newcastle side not only looking to win their first game of the season, but also one determined to prove their worth to their new mega-rich owners.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
