Tottenham midfielders Oliver Skipp and Yves Bissouma are both expected to be missing for the Premier League opener against Southampton on Saturday.
Skipp missed a large portion of last season with a hip problem and had been on his way back to full fitness before suffering a hairline fracture in his heel in training this week.
There is no timeframe on when Skipp will be back, but the weekend clash with the Saints is a non-starter.
The 21-year-old was a key man under Nuno Espirito Santo in the early part of last season. That initially continued under Antonio Conte before his pelvic problems struck.
Skipp ended up having surgery in America but failed to return to action as Tottenham eventually finished fourth.
But one man who could have replace him in the side is seemingly set to watch on from the sidelines.
The highly-regarded Bissouma joined in a deal from Brighton and he’s widely regarded as one of the signings of the summer.
But the Mali star has been struggling with a hamstring problem and a report from LondonWorld claims he will not be risked this weekend.
Bissouma was handed a start in Saturday’s friendly loss to Roma. However, he did not look fully fit and was taken off at half-time.
Conte will be hoping that both players are back sooner rather than later, to increase his options.
For now, though, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur are set to resume their impressive partnership from last season.
The duo complimented each other nicely during the run-in as Spurs beat out Arsenal for fourth spot.
Bissouma will make his mark
Despite missing out early on and struggling with a hamstring issue, Bissouma will soon make himself a permanent member of Conte’s side.
The box-to-box midfielder was outstanding in games against Tottenham last summer. And those performances no doubt played a major part in Conte’s decision to move for the Brighton man.
His ability to play different midfield roles will make him invaluable to Conte going forward.
He completely snuffed out Harry Kane’s playmaking threat last season. However, he is also capable of running a game with his driving runs from the centre of the park.
One thing is for sure, Conte is keeping his fingers crossed that Bissouma will be back sooner rather than later.