Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Xavi Simons is out for the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Spurs playmaker will also miss the World Cup after picking up the knee injury over the weekend. It remains unclear how long he will be out for.
The injury has hampered Simons just when he was beginning to look the part in Tottenham colours following his big-money transfer switch from Germany.
This setback is a massive blow for Tottenham as they bid to escape the relegation zone with four games left.
Spurs managerRoberto De Zerbi will be forced into a bold call that could redefine their run-in.
Simons’ injury strips Spurs of their most dynamic attacking outlet, leaving a creative vacuum they cannot fill like-for-like.
With James Maddison’s workload needing careful management, De Zerbi may have little choice but to turn to Lucas Bergvall, a player many people believe is too good to be sitting on the fringes.
The Swedish teenager produced a shaky display against Sunderland in De Zerbi’s opening game. The Italian tactician left him on the bench for the next two games.
However, Bergvall can contribute big time to this team. He is technically sharp, fearless in possession and capable of driving through midfield lines.
Described by Pep Guardiola as ‘unstoppable’, he offers a different kind of threat, one that could inject unpredictability into a side that has looked blunt without Simons.
In a relegation scrap where fine margins decide everything, De Zerbi may need a wildcard. Bergvall has the tools to be it.
Bergvall is a special midfield talent whose in-game intelligence can help Spurs mitigate the loss of Simons, at least for the next four games.
Alternating with Archie Gray and Maddison, they can help Tottemham avoid the unthinkable.