Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Santo has received a big injury boost ahead of their return to Premier League action this lunchtime...

What's the latest?

According to the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick, young midfielder Oliver Skipp is hoping to be fit to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park today after he was forced off with injury during international duty in midweek.

The 20-year-old will be assessed ahead of the match but it's thought that the injury may not be as bad as first feared, thus opening up the possibility of him retaining his place in the starting XI.

Major boost

This will come as huge encouragement to Nuno and others associated with the club.

The Portuguese head coach is facing a bit of a nightmare situation right now with several of his key stars likely to be unavailable for this encounter, so to have Skipp fit would be a massive boost.

He will be without the services of South American trio Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez, who are all in Croatia to avoid having to quarantine upon their return to the UK following international duty.

Meanwhile, a trio of wingers in Steven Bergwijn, Heung-min Son and Ryan Sessegnon are doubts heading into kickoff, leaving Nuno with a threadbare squad.

That is something he would not have wanted to come back to after the break, considering that his team sit top of the table with a 100% win record. They are yet to concede this season but Sanchez's absence means that the manager will have to change the backline for the first time since the campaign started.

Having Skipp available in front of the defence will certainly bolster their chances of continuing their fine form.

The Hotspur Way youth product has averaged 2.7 tackles per game this season, a feat only bettered by one other player at the club, so he has clearly made his presence felt in the engine room since being given the opportunity this term.

Nuno will surely be buzzing by this latest update.

AND in other news, Nuno could find Spurs' "new Eriksen" by unleashing "unbelievable" £27m-rated sensation...