Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup ambitions — and Tottenham Hotspur’s fight for English Premier League survival — have been thrown into fresh uncertainty after Mohammed Kudus suffered a worrying injury setback just as he closed in on a long-awaited return.
The influential Ghanaian midfielder, sidelined since January with a serious quad tendon injury sustained in a home clash against Sunderland, had only recently resumed full training and was poised to return to action for Spurs this month.
However, in a cruel twist, Kudus has reportedly aggravated the same thigh in training, casting serious doubt over his immediate future.
Tottenham confirmed the development in a statement yesterday, revealing that the 25-year-old will now undergo further specialist assessment, with surgery a real possibility — a development that would cast a long shadow over both the remainder of the Premier League season and Ghana’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
“We can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has suffered a setback in his return from injury. He had returned to team training during the past week; however, he will now require further specialist review and, potentially, surgery,” the club announced on its website.
Double blow
The implications are significant on multiple fronts.
For Spurs, locked in a tense relegation dogfight under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, Kudus’ absence could not come at a worse time.
The north London side, still searching for their first league win of the calendar year, had been counting on the Ghanaian’s creativity and attacking thrust to ignite their faltering campaign.
Since his £55 million move from West Ham, Kudus has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise difficult season, contributing nine goal involvements in 24 appearances across the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. He also leads the club’s assist chart, reflecting just how central he has become to Spurs’ attacking structure.
Now, with just seven matches remaining, the prospect of losing their chief creator for the run-in is a hammer blow to their survival hopes.
Yet the wider ramifications may be even more severe for Ghana and will leave the Black Stars handlers scratching their heads for solutions.
For Ghana, Kudus is not merely a key player; he is the creative heartbeat of the Black Stars’ attacking play — he scored a brace in Ghana’s 3-2 win over South Korea in a group clash at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as Ghana made a group-stage exit.
His potential absence could derail the team’s readiness for the 2026 World Cup, where they are set to face Panama, England and Croatia in what already shapes as a daunting group.
The timing could hardly be worse. Ghana are in the midst of a turbulent period, having lost four consecutive matches in Kudus’ absence — a run that ultimately led to the dismissal of head coach Otto Addo following defeats to Austria and Germany in recent friendlies.
With a new coach yet to steady the ship, the uncertainty surrounding their talisman only amplifies the instability, a situation compounded by a growing injury list, with Mohammed Salisu, Ernest Nuamah, Francis Abu, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Abdul Mumin all sidelined and facing a race against time to be fit for the upcoming World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh