TOTTENHAM skipper Cristian Romero has been booted out of the starting XI for today’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa with a suspected injury.
It was announced to the Spurs crowd FIFTEEN minutes before kick-off that the Argentine defender would no longer be involved.
Kevin Danso has taken his place in the side while Micky van de Ven will wear the club armband for today’s tie.
Due to the short notice of the news, Thomas Frank is unable to bring anyone else into the matchday squad to replace Danso.
Tottenham splashed out on a private charter flight to bring Romero from international duty with Argentina back to London.
The World Cup champions, who have qualified for the 2026 Finals, smashed Puerto Rico 6-0 in Fort Lauderdale in the United States last Tuesday.
Club officials organised the special transportation so he could be ready for the match with Unai Emery’s Villa but he will sit this one out instead.
It is a blow for Spurs as Romero had not missed a minute in their opening seven Prem games.
Last season the defender featured in Tottenham’s opening 11 league games before a toe and hamstring injuries kept him sidelined for three months.
Spurs won just five of their 20 Prem matches without Romero last term.
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They suffered a number of injuries with another first-choice centre-back, Van de Ven, missing a large chunk of the season.
Danso deputised for the Dutchman after arriving on loan in January – he made his stay permanent in the summer for £21million.