Joao Palhinha’s injury record analysed after his Tottenham Hotspur transfer
After Joao Palhinha becomes Tottenham’s fourth signing of the summer, we take a closer look at his injury record to see whether Thomas Frank should be worried about his fitness.
The season has not even begun, and Tottenham have already suffered some significant injury blows.
James Maddison suffered a serious injury during the 1-1 draw against Newcastle on Sunday, with the attacking midfielder potentially set to miss several months of action.
Meanwhile, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke have hardly featured during pre-season, although Udogie has refuted suggestions that he will be out for four months.
Should Tottenham fans be concerned about Joao Palhinha’s injury record?
Palhinha’s £47m move to Bayern Munich did not work out the way the midfielder would have wanted, and that was partly down to his injury woes.
According to Transfermarkt, the midfielder missed a total of 17 games for club and country due to injuries last term.
However, that should not concern Tottenham Hotspur fans as last season was very much the exception rather than the rule for the 30-year-old.
Throughout his two-year spell at Fulham, Palhinha missed just one game due to an injury. His injury record at Sporting Lisbon is also nothing to be alarmed about, with the midfielder missing 10 games across a four-season spell.
All in all, it thus looks like Frank can count on the Portugal international’s availability this season.
Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin are on the mend
There have also been some positive updates regarding Tottenham’s long-term injury absentees, who are yet to train with Thomas Frank and his coaching staff.
According to reports, Radu Dragusin is ahead of schedule in his recovery from an ACL injury, which was initially expected to keep him out of the entire calendar year.
Meanwhile, last week, Kulusevski started kicking a ball for the first time outdoors since his injury back in March as the Swede inches closer to a return.
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