Tottenham's Premier League Opener at Brentford: Key Absences and New Faces

Tottenham will walk into their Premier League opener at Brentford with a fresh look and a few glaring absences.

New captain Micky van de Ven will not feature. The defender, handed the armband for the new season, missed the entire pre-season after returning late from World Cup duty and has not yet been reintegrated. Roberto De Zerbi confirmed on Friday that van de Ven will not even make the squad for the trip across London.

Vice-captain Pedro Porro is also out of contention, stripping Spurs of both of their designated leaders on the pitch for the first game of the campaign. The disruption does not end there. Pape Matar Sarr has suffered a hamstring problem. The issue is not considered serious, but it is enough to rule him out of the weekend and force another reshuffle in midfield.

The injury bulletin was not entirely bleak. Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Mateus Fernandes all trained ahead of the clash with Brentford. De Zerbi said the quartet would be “inside”, a clear hint that all four are in line to be involved in some capacity.

Even so, Spurs will not unleash their record signing from the start. Fernandes, a headline summer arrival from West Ham for £85m, has been nursing a calf problem since joining up with the squad on their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia. He is not ready to start and will have to wait for his full debut.

De Zerbi has chosen caution over risk with his fitness calls, scarred by last season’s injury crisis that repeatedly stripped Spurs of rhythm and continuity. The message is simple: no shortcuts in August, even if it means beginning the season without his new captain on the pitch.