Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Mykhailo Mudryk will miss several weeks after suffering a non-contact ankle injury in Tottenham training. The setback occurred only days after the Ukrainian made his first competitive appearance in 646 days, and he is expected to be unavailable until at least after the September international break, with a six-to-eight-week absence considered possible.

Mudryk joined Tottenham from Chelsea on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan that includes a non-obligatory £75 million option to buy. Reunited with De Zerbi, who coached him at Shakhtar Donetsk, the 25-year-old made his Spurs debut as a late substitute in the 0–0 draw at Nottingham Forest.

De Zerbi described the problem as a “stupid injury,” explaining that Mudryk felt pain in his ankle during an innocuous moment in training rather than after a tackle or collision. “Playing without tackle, without different movement and he felt pain [in the] ankle,” De Zerbi said. “Then after two days he made the medical check and we knew the problem.”

The reports confirm that Mudryk had a scan and is thought to be in a protective boot, but they do not confirm the original draft’s claim that the scan ruled out ligament damage or that Tottenham have established a detailed, phased timetable involving light conditioning and controlled on-pitch work. The more reliable forecast is simply that he is likely to miss the fixtures against Everton, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and Aston Villa, with an October return possible.

For De Zerbi, the timing is especially frustrating because Mudryk is rebuilding his rhythm after a 22-month suspension for an adverse finding of the banned substance meldonium. The manager has repeatedly stressed the need to be patient with a player who has spent so long out of competitive football. “We need him back as soon as possible,” De Zerbi said. “For him, he’s suffered too much, and for us because he’s an important player for us.”

The injury delays rather than ends Mudryk’s chance to establish himself at Tottenham. De Zerbi has called the winger a potential “gamechanger” and previously described him as having Ballon d’Or-level talent, but he also acknowledged after the Forest cameo that Mudryk needed time and training to recover full match fitness. Spurs will now have to manage that process even more cautiously once the ankle problem has healed.