Confirmation that Cristian Romero will require up to five weeks to recover from a hamstring strain has sent a tremor through Tottenham‘s mid-winter schedule.
Spurs have been depleted for weeks and international tournaments will take Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma from manager Ange Postecoglou next month.
Romero, with his mobility, aggression and experience in the heart of the defence, is one of those players for whom they have no like-for-like replacement.
Tottenham struggled when the Argentine was sent off against Chelsea in November. They went on to lose that game and took just one point from the three he missed through suspension. They have improved again since his return.
‘It’s another challenge for us, with two games in a short space of time and a smallish squad available,’ said Postecoglou, who was still determined to stay upbeat ahead of Thursday’s trip to Brighton and the visit of Bournemouth on Sunday.
Spurs confirmed Cristian Romero will require five weeks to recover from a hamstring strain
Ange Postecoglou’s side have been dealing with a number of injuries during the season
January might prove the biggest test of the Australian’s first season in north London, as he competes to stay in the top four while also desperately seeking new signings in the transfer window.
‘We’ll tackle it like we’ve tackled everything else,’ said Postecoglou. ‘We’ve just got to get on with it.
‘You can see other clubs going through it as well. We’ve been going through it for quite a while, but I like the attitude everyone is taking internally.
‘We’ve still been disappointed with our losses, still disappointed if we’re not playing our football. That’s the most important thing.
‘I like the fact we’re winning games and playing decent football without some of those players.
Romero’s injury means Emerson Royal (right) could now step up as a centre back option
‘For them, it’s good to see the team winning – hopefully it motivates them to come back but also makes them realise it’s something they want to be a part of.’
Tottenham have won their last three games after a winless run of five triggered by that night against Chelsea, when they also lost Micky van de Ven and James Maddison to injuries.
Neither are back and Postecoglou warned Van de Ven might not be as close as the Dutch defender made it sound when he spoke to Sky Sports last week.
‘I won’t take players’ views on…