Son Heung Min, the Tottenham Hotspur striker, has suffered a setback in his recovery from a foot injury and could be out for a further three weeks.
Son’s absence will leave Tottenham relying on Harry Kane’s fitness with Clinton Njie, the Cameroon winger who can also play up front, taking time to adjust after arriving at the club with an injury from Lyons.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs manager, expected Son to return after the international break but he could now miss six further matches, starting with the Barclays Premier League game at home to Liverpool on Saturday when Jurgen Klopp will take charge of the visitors for the first time.
Tottenham also play Anderlecht twice in the Europa League and Arsenal in the Premier League before the next international break in November.
Pochettino offered a cagey response when asked when Son would return. “One or two or three [weeks],” he said. “Four, no it is a joke. Maybe in a few weeks he will be back. I think he is nearly ready to come back to start training with the group. But every injury is different and we need to assess day by day.”
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The striker has made an instant impact at his new club, scoring three times in four starts, but was taken off near the end of their 4-1 victory over Manchester City two weeks ago.
He missed Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Monaco in the Europa League and was prevented from joining up with South Korea for their games against Kuwait in the Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and a friendly against Jamaica in Seoul.
Tottenham will be without Eric Dier through suspension against Liverpool but the club hope that Ryan Mason, who has a knee injury, and Nabil Bentaleb, who has an ankle problem, will return next week.
“Always it is a problem with some players in this situation but we have a big squad,” Pochettino added. “I trust all the players and sometimes you need to pick the best player for the right game. Always you want all the players fit and available to decide. But this is football and we need to accept the situation.”
Pochettino said he was pleased with Dele Alli’s debut for England as a substitute in Estonia and believes the 19-year-odl midfielder could maintain his place in the squad for the Euro 2016 finals.
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“I watched the second game, he didn’t disappoint,” he said. “First touch was a great touch. He is maturing and they have looked after him in a very good way.
“I am happy with the way that he was looked after. In football it is always about performance. If he follows in the same way that he played in the last few months he will maybe have an opportunity to go. It is not because he is young. Football is about performance and if he carries on in the same way he could have a possibility to go.”