De Zerbi focused on Tottenham as injuries cloud Manchester United trip

Roberto De Zerbi says his attention is solely on Tottenham as they prepare to face Manchester United, despite being asked about Manchester City’s potential sanctions.

Tottenham travel to Old Trafford on Saturday for their sixth Premier League fixture of the season, with several players unavailable or short of match fitness.

Spain international Pedro Porro and Ukraine international Mykhailo Mudryk will both miss the match, De Zerbi confirmed at his pre-match news conference. Porro is expected to be absent for several games, while Mudryk could require a longer period to recover.

“Pedro Porro and Mykhailo Mudryk will not be available to play against Manchester United,” said De Zerbi. “Porro will miss several matches, while Mudryk may need a longer time to recover.”

Deki Kulusevski has made good progress and will travel with the squad to support his team-mates, but he will not feature.

“Deki Kulusevski is working well and will come with us tomorrow to give the team support, but he will not play,” the Tottenham manager added.

De Zerbi also said the Netherlands internationals Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke are both available for selection. However, he highlighted the difference in their recent playing time, with Micky having completed four full 90-minute matches and Van Hecke appearing in only three games.

James Maddison is also available, although he missed four days of training at the end of last weekend and the beginning of this week.

“Maddison is available to play, but he missed four days of training at the end of last week and the start of this week,” said De Zerbi.

The manager said Maddison would need a sustained period without pain or further problems before returning to normal.

“He needs three, four or five consecutive weeks without feeling pain or having problems,” De Zerbi said. “After that, he will become a normal player.”

Asked to compare the issue surrounding Manchester City’s sanctions with the Calciopoli scandal in Italy, De Zerbi said his priorities had changed since his playing days.

“At that time I was a crazy player and I do not remember what I was thinking. All I was thinking about was football,” he said.

Calciopoli, a case involving the manipulation of the appointments and results surrounding Italian football matches, began to emerge in May 2006. Juventus were relegated as a result and stripped of two Italian league titles.

“When you are a player, you do not think too much,” De Zerbi continued. “When you become a coach, your focus is on your players. I do not have time to think about any other problems apart from my team and the club I represent.”

Tottenham are bottom of the Premier League with two points from two draws. Manchester United are 12th on five points, having recorded one win, two draws and two defeats.