Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga has been ruled out of Friday’s clash against Manchester United, according to The Telegraph.
The 21 year old suffered a stress fracture in his back in training and will not feature in Spurs’ first match back in the Premier League.
Tanganga has been able to work on training matches on a fitness program that will prevent further aggravation of the injury.
Spurs are still assessing his injury and there are chances that he may feature again before the end of the season for Jose Mourinho’s side.
The young Englishman has gotten considerable playing minutes under Mourinho this season after impressing in a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on his Premier League debut.
Tanganga played on either side of a back four as well as a centre back in a back three as Spurs navigated their way through an injury crisis prior to the break.
Mourinho was one of the few managers who benefited from the break with his side win-less in six matches before football was paused.
He can now welcome back key players in Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son as Spurs aim for a berth in Europe next year.
However, Tanganga’s injury has again given the Portuguese manager food for thought and he will be short of options in the full back area having sent Kyle Walker-Peters and Danny Rose out on loan in January.
The England U20 international had signed a one year extension on his contract last year and there are now talks ongoing over committing his long term future to the club.
Midfielder Dele Alli will also miss the match due to suspension after the FA deemed a social media post to be “insulting” to a particular community.
Tottenham currently sit in eighth place, four behind their opponents Manchester United in fifth.
A fifth place finish may be sufficient for Champions League next season if Manchester City’s two season European ban is upheld by Court of Arbitration for Sport.
