Many of Tottenham's loan players across Europe played their final game before the World Cup break while some had injuries and illness to deal with
Spurs have a total of nine players on loan at clubs across the Championship and League One, as well as at sides in Italy, Spain, France and Sweden. Some of those out on loan are younger players who are getting much-needed experience to aid their development, while some of the older players have been told they are not part of Antonio Conte's plans and have therefore been placed in the shop window with their loans.
football.london has taken a look at how all nine of the players got on this week and how they have been doing across their spells so far.
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Sergio Reguilon (Atletico Madrid)
Reguilon only returned to the pitch last week but he missed his final opportunity to play football before the break in the Copa del Rey first round match against Almazan at the weekend after needing a trip to hospital on Thursday.
That day Atletico Madrid said in a statement: "Sergio Reguilon suffers from an acute digestive condition for which he had to be admitted to a hospital last night. The evolution of his symptoms will mark his hospital discharge."
The Spurs left-back was discharged the following day with his loan club saying after that: "Sergio Reguilon had to be admitted at dawn from Thursday to Friday due to an acute digestive condition. The winger has already been discharged from the hospital that has allowed him to return to his house, where he continues with his recovery."
Reguilon has been trying to get back to fitness after surgery on the groin issue he had back in April at Spurs. After three successive appearances as an unused substitute for Atletico in La Liga and the Champions League, the 25-year-old came off the bench for 21 minutes in the 1-0 defeat at Mallorca last week.
After that game, Reguilon had posted on Instagram: "I feel like a footballer again after seven months. Pissed off by the defeat and the situation of the team, but excited about my debut with @atleticodemadrid and wanting to help the team."
Tanguy Ndombele (Napoli)
Ndombele will be hoping he is set to end up with a Serie A title on his CV as Napoli completed the first half of the Italian season with an eight-point lead at the top of the table.
The Frenchman got 23 minutes from the bench as Napoli won 3-2 at home against Udinese. Having impressed against Empoli after starting in the last game, this time Ndombele had a tougher time of it as the visitors scored twice after his introduction. The midfielder was able to boast a 100% pass record though in his time, with all 17 of his passes reaching their target.
The 25-year-old has played in all but two matches since joining Napoli in the summer and has split his time between starting and being a used substitute with eight starts and 10 appearances from the bench.
Destiny Udogie (Udinese)
Teenager Udogie should have been playing against Ndombele but he missed his third Serie A match in a row due to a flexor muscle injury.
Speaking last month to Italian publication La Repubblica, Udogie discussed his time in Serie A and his move to Tottenham next summer, claiming that he at that point was yet to hear from Spurs boss Antonio Conte.
"Serie A helps me to grow. The months I remain here on loan in Udine will be important to improve myself further," he said, as reported by Inside Futbol. "With my head now I'm here. To say, I haven't heard from [Antonio] Conte yet. The Premier [League] however does not scare me. The game is fantastic and I have always spoken English at home with my parents born in Nigeria."
Giovani Lo Celso (Villarreal)
Another midfielder on the injury list is Lo Celso who was ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring tear.
The 26-year-old was taken off during Villarreal's La Liga defeat against Athletic Bilbao at the end of last month and scans later confirmed that the midfielder suffered a hamstring tear during the game which required surgery. Spanish media reported that Lo Celso exhausted all possible options to be on the flight to Qatar, including consultations with specialists from different parts of the world for a less invasive treatment.
He posted on Instagram this week: "The truth is that they were very hard and sad days for me. As you know, the injury will keep me away from the courts for a while. Any child dreams of being in the most beautiful tournament in the world. I tried by all possible means but there was no way.
"Wish the best to the group that has to go, which I have no doubt will represent the country in the best way. I will be supporting as one more Argentine from wherever. Thank you for all the messages of support and affection received during these days. Let's go Argentina."
Joe Rodon (Rennes)
Rodon was an unused substitute after returning from a bout of the flu as Rennes won 2-1 at home against Toulouse to head into the break in third place in Ligue 1.
The 25-year-old got the news last week that he will be on his way to the World Cup with Wales. After an impressive start to life in Ligue 1, the centre-back has not played in the French top flight for five matches, following a two-game suspension after a red card late on in the 3-0 win against Nantes last month. He then sat it out on the bench in the next game after his suspension ended, but got 90 minutes in the Europa League draw against Larnaca before his illness.
Rodon should at least be fresher than many of his team-mates when he joins up with them for the flight to Qatar.
Harry Winks (Sampdoria)
Winks had been trying to overcome a troublesome ankle problem and had only completed one training session with his Sampdoria team-mates before the problem flared up. Last week the midfielder admitted that he had undergone surgery on his left ankle in an effort to end his injury hell.
"Absolutely gutted it’s come to this, I came here with the hope to give my all to this club," said the 26-year-old on Instagram. "However after trying everything to return to playing, a persistent problem I had since the summer has resulted in surgery. I'm positive the procedure went well and all my focus is on returning as soon as possible to help the team. Thanks for all the support."
There had been some reports in Italy that Sampdoria could look to end his loan move prematurely in January if he is unable to regain his fitness.
Troy Parrott (Preston North End)
Parrott needed surgery on his hamstring last month. There was a mixture of elation and despair earlier last month when the 20-year-old Republic of Ireland international came off the bench against Norwich to score the winner for Preston - his first Championship goal - as they secured a big 3-2 victory at Carrow Road. However, the striker injured himself during the celebrations and will now be out until after the World Cup.
Parrott later posted a photo of himself on social media in his hospital bed with a brace around his left leg, with the caption: "Hamstring surgery went well, road to recovery starts now and I’ll be doing everything in my power to be back doing what I love asap. God gives the toughest challenges to the toughest people."
Preston boss Ryan Lowe said of the injury back then: "He's had his scans and whatnot. It’s not as bad as we first thought, but we’re obviously in dialogue with Tottenham Hotspur as well now because he’s their player. I think the World Cup’s come at a good time for Troy because he will miss a large part, but the fact of the matter is we’ve got that break.
"We won’t have him for the foreseeable future, but after the World Cup when we’re back in action, hopefully he’s back fit and ready, so it’ll give us enough time not to rush. I’m gutted for Troy because obviously he just scored his first Championship goal as well. Although he’s been out the team, he’s been fantastic. He’s alright, he's in good spirits now. He’s got over it, and we’ve just got to make sure he’s alright for the next time he's available."
Dane Scarlett (Portsmouth)
Scarlett was back in action for Portsmouth in their 1-1 draw at Morecambe in League One on Saturday and he was heralded as one of the side's better players in the local media after his return to the team.
The teenager had missed Portsmouth's 3-1 win at Hereford in their televised FA Cup first round match after Spurs denied Portsmouth permission to select him in the game.
The 18-year-old has four goals and two assists from his 20 appearances for Danny Cowley's side so far this season but he was not available for the cup clash. The logic would normally be to not allow him to play in case Scarlett was potentially needed in January back at the club then he could play in the third round for Conte. However, that does not seem to be the case after Cowley said Spurs they will allow the teenager to play for Portsmouth against MK Dons later this month in the second round.
Cowley told BBC Radio Solent: "Tottenham have said to us that they will allow him to play in the next round if we got through. That’s the communication we’ve had with them and we’re hopeful that we might have him for the next one. It’s absolutely the prerogative of the parent club to make that decision so we totally respect that."
Alfie Whiteman (Degerfors)
Whiteman played his part for the second successive campaign in helping keep Degerfors in the Allsvenskan. While the 24-year-old goalkeeper has been on the bench since sustaining a concussion a few weeks back following a nasty blow, he did his bit over the season in keeping the side in the Swedish top flight. His loan deal expires this month and Whiteman will return to Spurs with his contract at the club in its final six months.
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