According to interim manager Ryan Mason, Tottenham is concerned about the health of Hugo Lloris, Ben Davies, and Clement Lenglet ahead of their matchup with Manchester United.
The first game of Mason's second tenure as Spurs' interim manager will be on Thursday when United, fresh off their FA Cup semi-final victory over Brighton on Sunday, return to North London. After being humiliated 6-1 by Newcastle on Monday, Spurs fired previous interim manager Cristian Stellini.
During his ordeal in the North East, goalkeeper and captain Lloris watched five goals sail past him in the space of 21 minutes before being replaced at halftime due to a hip ailment.
Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Emerson Royal, and Ryan Sessegnon are already out for Tottenham, while Lucas Moura will be back after serving a three-match suspension.
Mason acknowledged that Thursday's game will be challenging, but he hopes to bring some optimism back to the team by obtaining a result."They've had a good season and won a trophy which is important for a big club," he said on United. "Difficult but fully believe we can get a good result."
"I think from my point of view at the moment is to get some sort of energy and some sort of positivity back into the group. But not only the group, the fans and the club have to be realistic as well when you have two training sessions, three training sessions before two games."
"It's hard to change a great deal but I would hope and expect towards the end of the season that everyone, not only inside but outside, will see my stamp and our stamp on the group."
New caretaker challenges Tottenham to get results against Man United
Ryan Mason has stated that he is prepared to take over as Tottenham's manager and has pledged a response to Sunday's humbling loss at Newcastle.
After Cristian Stellini was fired on Monday following Spurs' 6-1 loss at St. James' Park, Mason became the club's third head coach during a turbulent season.
Mason served in the same capacity at the conclusion of the 2020–21 season when Jose Mourinho was fired, making this his second time in the position. At the time, he became the Premier League's youngest-ever manager. Now 31, the former Tottenham player is up for the challenge over the next six games after honing his coaching abilities in the five years since his untimely retirement in 2018.
“We’ve got a really, really big game Thursday and another one on Sunday. The focus on my behalf and the group is just to prepare for that.
“(My first time as caretaker was) just confirmation that I’m absolutely ready for this sort of situation. We handled it well two years ago. A lot has happened in the last two years, but I feel fine and ready in this situation.”
Asked if he wanted the job on a full-time basis, Mason replied: “Yeah, I’m ready and if that situation happens it obviously means I have done a good job."
"But that is obviously in the future of four, five, six weeks’ time and, like I said, the immediate thought is the game on Thursday and the game on Sunday.
“We have some big weeks before anyone in here can start to think of that situation.”
Although a small crowd was allowed for his final game at home against Aston Villa in 2021, Mason's prior tenure as manager of Tottenham took place under the closed-doors era.
On Thursday, when he takes the field in front of more than 60,000 fans, the bulk of them will still be fuming about Sunday's disaster, which saw Spurs trail Newcastle 5-0 after just 21 minutes.
Even though the team promised to pay back the away support at St James' Park, previous home games have seen fans chant for chairman Daniel Levy to be fired. If the team starts poorly against Manchester United, the animosity may grow.
But Mason said: “(I expect) a reaction, absolutely a reaction.
“Obviously Sunday was disappointing for us and I would hope and expect there’s a reaction from not only the players, but everyone in the building and everyone involved in the club as well.
“I’m pleased (about the reimbursement) because our fans are important for us. We value them and need them.
“I understand that relationship has wavered recently, but there’s no doubt we need them and want them on board, and hopefully Thursday they can feel us.
“I understand that relationship has wavered recently, but there’s no doubt we need them and want them on board, and hopefully Thursday they can feel us.
“We want to get them on board and we want to get them with us. The only way to do that is to put in performances that warrant that.”
Mason suggested that he would start without captain Hugo Lloris, who was forced off against Newcastle due to a hip injury. He also suggested that he might switch back to the 3-4-3 configuration that Antonio Conte primarily employed.
"It's difficult to make significant changes when there are two to three practices before two games," Mason continued.
"But, I would hope and expect towards the end of the season that everyone, not only inside but outside, will see my stamp and our stamp on the group."
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