Pedro Porro is reportedly facing around a month out after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa. Here is the latest on the Tottenham defender’s recovery and what it means for Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur defender and World Cup winner Pedro Porro is likely to miss about a month after picking up a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 3–2 loss to Aston Villa. But the club has not yet confirmed his return date.
Pedro Porro played only 19 minutes against Aston Villa. He left the pitch early, and Archie Grey replaced him at right-back. The England under 21 midfielder, also opened the scoring with his first touches. Tottenham tried to come back from three goals behind, but late goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke were not enough.
The injury is especially disappointing because Porro had just returned to the starting line-up. Roberto De Zerbi left him out of the previous games against Everton and Liverpool because of what he called a minor muscle issue. De Zerbi said Porro was ready for the Villa match, but his return was cut short before halftime, adding to the frustration for boththe club and fans.
After the match, De Zerbi said he thought Porro’s injury was a hamstring problem and hoped it was not serious. He also mentioned the importance of managing Porro’s workload after Spain’s World Cup run. Tottenham let right back Djed Spence leave the club for Inter Milan this summer and decided not to replace him; instead, Archie Gray would play backup to Porro. That choice not to replace Spence is looking more concerning now given the second injury to Porro this summer.
Porro has already pulled out of Spain’s squad for the UEFA Nations League during the extended international break. The Spanish football federation confirmed his absence on the day of the Villa game, so he will spend the international break recovering with Tottenham instead of joining Luis de la Fuente’s team.
Porro signed a new contract in the summer while representing Spain in North America; he has been a consistent fixture in Spurs' starting XI, but his workload has been high for several seasons in a row.
The question now is how De Zerbi will cover right-back while Porro is out. Gray stepped in against Villa and is a reliable choice, but it isn’t his natural or even preferred position. Looking deeper into the squad, could Tosin step in at right-back or even Andy Robertson move over as additional cover with the return of Destiny Udogie?
The international break gives Porro a chance to start his recovery before Tottenham’s next set of games. Pressure is mounting on head coach Roberto De Zerbi and missing a key player in his team isn’t ideal following a conerning start to the season.
