Tottenham captain Cristian Romero will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
The defender was substituted in tears in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland following a collision with Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky while defending the ball from Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey.
Reports claiming that the Argentina international will return in time for the World Cup are believed not to be completely accurate, but Romero’s season at club level is over.
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Romero’s injury is another monumental blow for relegation-threatened Spurs, who are in the bottom three and two points from safety with only six league games remaining.
It is another injury issue for new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi, who told reporters on Friday he had expected to rely on Mohammed Kudus only for the forward to suffer a fresh quad injury.
Now he will have to do without Romero for the run-in, whom he had labelled a “crucial player” after the defeat at the Stadium of Light.
When asked about Romero’s injury on Sunday, he said: “I hope for us it’s not too important a problem because he’s a crucial player for us.
“He’s a good guy, good player, top player, big personality and we need him to finish this season and to achieve our goal.”
More to follow…