Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie missed Monday's 3-1 win over Coventry City with a knee injury. 

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi revealed in his pre-match press conference that Lucas Bergvall and Savio had been added to his injury list. 

With no prior warning about an injury to Udogie, it caught fans by surprise when he was omitted from the Tottenham squad for Monday's home fixture.

De Zerbi soon explained Udogie's absence, revealing that he had picked up an injury in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

De Zerbi reveals reason for Udogie absence

Speaking to Sky Sports, De Zerbi said: "Destiny Udogie played 70 minutes, and he suffered a problem in his knee, and we didn't take a risk."

De Zerbi's explanation ultimately points to Tottenham's willingness to adopt a cautious approach with a player who has been hampered by injuries in recent years.

Hamstring issues affected him at the end of the 2023-24 campaign and in the middle of the 2024-25 season.

The Italy international also struggled with knee and hamstring problems last season, which restricted him to just 20 Premier League appearances.

Tottenham's left-back injury concerns

In Udogie's absence, Spurs ended the wait for their first league win of the season with a 3-1 success against Frank Lampard's side.

James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies all got on the scoresheet as Spurs moved off the bottom of the Premier League table and up to 16th spot.

Andy Robertson was among three Spurs players who appeared to pick up injuries in the long-awaited win.

The former Liverpool defender limped off with just over 20 minutes remaining and will now undergo assessment ahead of Saturday's London derby against Chelsea. 

Spurs will hope Robertson's issue is nothing serious, especially with Udogie's availability in doubt.