Interim manager: ‘Now it’s a question of life and death’

Fulham clash is ‘not time to think about performance’

Igor Tudor says the salvage operation he has taken on at Tottenham is tougher than he envisaged and is most likely his hardest job in management.

The interim coach, who is preparing for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Fulham, has worked with his new squad since the beginning of last week, having replaced the sacked Thomas Frank. Tudor lost his first game 4-1 at home to Arsenal on Sunday, which left Spurs four points above the relegation zone.

An alarming fitness situation has improved slightly with the return of Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso to training, meaning Tudor will be without eight injured players at Fulham, plus the suspended Cristian Romero, though Micky Van de Ven is expected to be fit.