One of Leeds United's relegation rivals and run-in opponents have suffered a huge injury blow.
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Leeds United’s key relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur will be without captain Christian Romero for the remainder of the season, according to reports.
Romero left the pitch in tears during the second half of Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday. The centre-back collided with his goalkeeper teammate Antonin Kinsky after trying to shield the ball under pressure from Brian Brobbey.
"I hope for us it's not too important a problem because he's a crucial player for us,” Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said of Romero in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat. "He's a good guy, good player, top player, big personality and we need him to finish this season and to achieve our goal."
De Zerbi’s wish to have Romero available this season looks to have been crushed with Sky Sports among several outlets to report the defender’s season is over. The Argentinian’s World Cup hopes are not thought to be over but his season at club-level is, with just seven games left.
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Tottenham fell into the Premier League relegation zone before kicking a ball over the weekend, with West Ham pulling two points clear following their 4-0 win at home to Wolves. Defeat at the Stadium of Light kept Spurs in 18th, three points shy of Leeds who play their game in hand at Manchester United this evening.
Leeds then play again before Tottenham next kick off, with the visit of Wolves to Elland Road coming a few hours before Spurs host Brighton. Daniel Farke’s side could be anything between three and nine points clear of their 18th-placed rivals by around 5pm on Saturday.
One of Spurs’ other big games comes on Monday, May 11, when they host Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. De Zerbi will be without his captain and key centre-back for that clash, which will almost certainly be a relegation six-pointer.
Romero’s season-ending injury is the second major blow manager De Zerbi has suffered in a matter of days. The Italian coach had told reporters he was expecting to rely on the returning Mohammed Kudus but the tricky winger suffered a setback in his recovery from a quad injury and is also likely to miss the rest of the season.
The pair join a long list of absent first-team players at Tottenham. They are expected to be without Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert for the remainder of the season while James Maddison hasn’t played a single minute this campaign due to a pre-season knee injury.