Tottenham handed James Maddison boost after latest injury scare

Tottenham will have James Maddison to call on when Crystal Palace visit on Saturday, despite fears over the playmaker's fitness. Maddison limped off in the 51st minute of Spurs' 2-0 win at Chelsea, sparking fresh concern about his condition. It looked like another setback for a player who had made a slow start to the campaign, with caution preached over his fitness since his May return from anterior cruciate ligament damage. But Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said ahead of the Palace game: “James is available. This week he didn’t work like the other players, but for tomorrow he is available and he is a special player for us. A special player because of the character and he has unique characteristics. “For James Maddison or the players who are coming from a long injury, they have to work more than the other players, but he has already four or five weeks he is working very hard and consistently. Maddison (right) is available for selection this weekend (Getty) “So, I think it’s not a problem if he loses two days (training), but then we have to analyse if we take risk or not. If we take risk like Pedro Porro (against Aston Villa) or (Dejan) Kulusevski. We are lucky to have a big squad and it’s important to not take risk with new injuries.” Destiny Udogie is also available for the visit of Palace. The Italian full-back sat out the wins over Coventry and Chelsea with a knee problem after struggling with a previous issue this season, but will be back in the squad this weekend. De Zerbi said: “He is available, but is another problematic player in terms of injuries now because he can’t work consistently during the weeks. “After Manchester United he didn’t work with the group for a long time. And this season is different the situation because we have a great medical staff and we are taking the right decision for each player in the right moment and in the right situation. “Maybe we made some mistake with Pedro, with Aston Villa, but not medical staff, it was together, me too and my staff, but it’s part of the job.” Spurs go into the game against 17th-place Palace on a high. Destiny Udogie will be available as well (Getty) Their victory at Stamford Bridge was a historic first there in eight years. It was also only a second away win against Chelsea in the Premier League era. Yet, De Zerbi warned: “We have not achieved our goal. We want our fans to be happy, but not now, at the end of the season. “Now we have to push. We have to stay focused. We have to increase, improve the spirit, the appetite to win games in a row. “One or two times is not enough. I believe in my players as people because we have so many leaders in our group. (Andy) Robertson, (Micky) Van de Ven, Pedro Porro, JP Van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, Rodrigo Bentancur, Tosin (Adarabioyo), Ben Davies, Maddison. “They want to push to keep the level of mentality, spirit and appetite high and especially now because football is going in this direction.”