Tottenham injury news: Mathys Tel situation explained as Igor Tudor suffers fresh blow

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Mathys Tel has reportedly had to withdraw from the France Under-21s squad with the injury he picked up over the weekend.

The former Bayern Munich youngster, who has become a fan favourite for Spurs in recent weeks amid their disastrous plight, was forced off with an apparent groin problem in Sunday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Nottingham Forest.

Assistant manager Bruno Saltor - filling in for Igor Tudor after the Croatian's family bereavement - told the media after the game that Tel would need assessing to see if he could link up with the French youth team.

Les Bleuets face Iceland and Luxembourg in Under-21 Euros qualifiers later this month, but according to L'Equipe, Tel has been forced to withdraw from the squad for the March international break.

Tottenham's Mathys Tel pulls out of France squad with injury

Tel - who was replaced by compatriot Randal Kolo Muani in Sunday's loss to Forest - is said to have 'done everything he could' to make himself fit for the Under-21s fixtures and arrived earlier this week for training.

Tel was present on both Monday and Tuesday and even took part in some small-sided drills with Manchester United's Leny Yoro earlier today, as well as undergoing some light jogging activities.

However, the decision was taken following Tuesday's training session that Tel was not fit enough to represent his country, and Lens' Rayan Fofana will take his place in the Bleuets' ranks.

The 20-year-old will now return to Tottenham for further assessment, with the aim of returning in time for Spurs' first fixture back, which does not come until April 12 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Tel has accrued three goals and one assist from 31 appearances in a Tottenham shirt during the 2025-26 season and has started each of Spurs' last three games in the Premier League.

Tottenham's injury situation assessed after Mathys Tel blow

Tottenham have been navigating a double-figure absentee list for a large portion of the campaign, although Tudor's fitness crisis had eased in recent weeks with the returns of Lucas Bergvall, Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso.

However, Tel is still one of nine Tottenham players currently in the care of the doctors, a list that now includes number one goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who will undergo hernia surgery this week.

There is also no timeframe on Yves Bissouma's recovery from a muscle issue, while Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Wilson Odobert are likely all out for the season.

Mohammed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur could both return from their thigh injuries at some point next month, though, and the same goes for Ben Davies, working his way back from ankle surgery.

Whether Tudor will still be in charge of the Lilywhites in April is another question entirely, though, as Tottenham are believed to have identified a serious candidate to take over, but it is not Roberto De Zerbi.