What games Cristian Romero is likely to miss as worrying Tottenham update emerges
Cristian Romero pulled out of the Tottenham squad to play Aston Villa on Sunday.
Tottenham lost 2-1 to Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium despite being one goal ahead after just five minutes.
Rodrigo Bentancur scored in the only true attacking quality on show in N17 as Mohammed Kudus struggled against Villa alongside his Spurs teammates.
Destiny Udogie missed the Villa game through injury, which was seen as a shock and a blow to Thomas Frank’s squad.
Romero pulled out at the 11th hour, with the Argentine potentially set for a spell on the sidelines in North London.
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Tottenham swapped Romero for Kevin Danso against Villa, forcing the home side into a frustrating change against Unai Emery’s men.
The skipper’s absence seemed to have a negative effect, as Spurs’ standards slipped, allowing the away side to steal three points.
Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia scored excellent goals, but weren’t shut down by Tottenham players with any urgency.
The 27-year-old likely would have stopped this, but instead was forced to watch from the bench with a frustrated look on his face.
Physio Scout assessed the centre-back’s issue via X on 21 October, which Frank described as “minor” discomfort in his groin.
The injury analysis expert suggested that Romero could be missing for several days to a month, depending on the grade.
Grade one represents a potential absence between two or three days and two weeks, while grade two is between three and four weeks.
Frank and the White Heart Lane faithful will hope for as little time out as possible, but if the defender is out for an extended period, what games could he miss?
What games could Romero miss for Tottenham?
Romero could make an instant return and play for the Lilywhites against Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Frank may decide against utilising him with one eye on a return to Premier League action against Everton next weekend.
Should he be out for longer, there are other clashes against Newcastle, Chelsea, Copenhagen and Manchester United that could mark a return for the captain before the international break.
Otherwise, it could take until after the November break for Romero to return with the North London derby coming up on 23 November, 36 days after the Villa defeat.
Tottenham will seriously miss Romero
Already this season, the ex-Atalanta man has showcased some positive stats that reflect well on his quality after being named Spurs captain.
Romero has contributed to an average of 2.14 tackles, 5.29 duels won and 1.57 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League.
The number 17 has also maintained an 89.4 per cent pass accuracy across his 381 completed passes throughout his seven appearances this season.
He has completed the third most passes, long balls and clearances in the Tottenham squad, while also chipping with the second most interceptions and the most blocks per 90.
This sort of impact and his ability to set the standards could see him represent a huge blow if he is out for a lengthy period through injury.