Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a significant blow ahead of their trip to Manchester United, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming that Pedro Porro will be unavailable for “many games”.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting at Old Trafford, the Spurs head coach also confirmed that Mykhailo Mudryk remains sidelined.

“Porro and Mudryk are both not available. Pedro not for many games and Mudryk, maybe something more,” De Zerbi said, as reported by Football London.

Porro’s absence is a major concern for Tottenham. The Spanish international is an important attacking outlet from right-back, offering energy, width and quality in possession.

Losing him for an extended period leaves De Zerbi without one of his most established options in a position that already looks light on depth.

Spurs have had to manage Porro’s workload since his return from the World Cup, and his latest setback comes at a difficult time for a side looking to turn around a poor start to the Premier League campaign.

De Zerbi will now have to find a solution while the defender works towards a return, with no precise comeback date confirmed.

Spurs left short after Djed Spence sale

The injury also exposes a squad-planning issue. Tottenham sold Djed Spence in the summer, removing a player who could provide cover at both full-back positions.

With Porro now set to miss many games, that decision has left Spurs short of natural back-up options at right-back.

Archie Gray can fill in, but relying on makeshift solutions is far from ideal over a sustained period, particularly with fixtures piling up. Porro’s injury is unfortunate, but it also underlines why having reliable depth across the squad matters.

Tottenham must now find a way to cope without a key player — and the lack of an obvious like-for-like replacement makes that task considerably harder.