Tottenham's pre-season may get a useful boost from several early World Cup exits. Andrew Robertson and Rodrigo Bentancur went out at the group stage, while Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke also finished early enough to give Tottenham a better shot at a fuller summer work-up than clubs often get after a tournament.

Training dates and the minimum break

football.london reported that Tottenham's players will begin to head back for pre-season training at the club's Enfield training complex in stages from Friday July 10 for medical and physical testing and gym work. The same report says the minimum break after a summer international tournament is three weeks once a player's involvement with their national team ends.

That schedule matters because full pitch work starts on Monday July 13. It also lines up with the club's summer tour, which takes in Auckland FC at Eden Park on Sunday July 26, Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday July 29 and Chelsea at Accor Stadium on Saturday August 1.

Andy Robertson's Scotland exit came at the group stage, and Bentancur's Uruguay also went out early. The Netherlands were knocked out in the last 32 after an added-time equaliser by Morocco and a penalty shootout defeat, which means van Hecke can also be back in the building without much delay.

The players Tottenham stand to regain

The individual tournament returns were mixed, but they still point to usable minutes rather than burnout. Robertson posted a 6.67 rating across 3 World Cup appearances and 231 minutes. Bentancur finished on 6.83 across 3 appearances and 282 minutes. Senesi made 1 appearance for 92 minutes, while van Hecke produced the strongest return of the group with a 7.48 rating, 4 appearances, 398 minutes and 1 goal.

Roberto De Zerbi gets a better hand from that than he would if all four were still deep into the tournament. Tottenham started the World Cup with 12 players at the tournament, including three summer signings: Robertson, Senesi and van Hecke. Getting even part of that group back for staged return dates from July 10 should help the club make better use of the opening weeks of pre-season before the Premier League opener at Brentford on August 22.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →