Cristian Romero’s injury could give Kevin Danso the chance to be an unlikely hero at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Argentine defender has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a partial tear of his medial cruciate ligament.
BBC journalist Sami Mokbel reported on 13 April that the injury was set to leave Romero on the sidelines for eight weeks.
Roberto De Zerbi can rely on Danso to step up in the absence of his captain, if he is given the chance to start.
The Frenchman has already proved that he has the quality, which was evident in Tottenham’s loss to Sunderland when he replaced Romero.
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How did Danso perform in Tottenham’s loss to Sunderland?
Danso came on for the last 20 minutes but couldn’t help Tottenham recover, as they stayed in the relegation zone.
Despite the disappointing result, his performance was exceptional when he was on the pitch, for 20 minutes at the Stadium of Light.
Danso completed all 18 of his passes, not giving the ball away with any attempts, for a 100 per cent pass accuracy, per Fotmob.
He made two tackles, two clearances and one recovery in a solid defensive display in De Zerbi’s first game in charge.
In terms of duels, he won both that he contested on the ground and both that he went for in the air, for a 100 per cent success rate.
Why Danso may be a better option than Romero anyway
There were question marks over whether De Zerbi would like Romero and would keep him as his captain, as he is often a liability.
Danso may prove to be a better asset than the skipper in the final few weeks of the season, as he is less likely to get himself sent off and do something rash, which would have required the back-up to come in anyway.
It may actually benefit the Lilywhites to have the Austrian in the side instead, as his stats from his cameo against Regis Le Bris’ side were almost flawless.
If he can keep that up in the next few weeks, it could make all the difference as Spurs try to avoid a humiliating relegation to the Championship, just one season after winning the Europa League.
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