With Andre Villas-Boas already preparing for life without Luka Modric, it looks as though Spurs may also be without one of their other key midfielders for the start of the campaign. After undergoing surgery for an Achilles problem, former West Ham man Scott Parker has been ruled out until at least mid-September while he recovers from the injury.

Parker picked up the injury towards the back end of last season and was forced to miss Tottenham’s last four games. However, after representing England through Euro 2012, most people expected the 31-year-old to return to White Hart Lane fully fit. Unfortunately, it looks as though he has aggravated the issue while on international duty, meaning he is now certain to miss the start of the season.

The player has now undergone surgery and while this has been a success, the club have announced that it will be several weeks before he returns to training. In a statement, Spurs said, “Scott Parker has undergone successful surgery to his right Achilles. The midfielder is expected to return to training after the international break in September.”

After being a hugely influential player for the club last season, news of Parker’s injury will certainly come as a blow to AVB. Parker managed to play 34 times last term and after also impressing for his country, expectations were high for the forthcoming campaign.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the club have made wantaway man Luka Modric to train on his own. It is thought that Villas-Boas has grown sick and tired of the whole saga and ordered the Croatian to follow a personalised training programme, away from the rest of the first team. However, whether or not such a stance is wise is another matter, with no club yet to match the high valuation that Spurs have placed on the midfielder’s head.