A "heartbroken" Xavi Simons is facing up to eight months on the sidelines after suffering a ruptured ACL at the weekend. The Dutchman was chasing a loose ball alongside Hugo Bueno during Saturday's clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves when he jarred his knee on the pitch.
Simons immediately collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, as Spurs medical staff rushed over to attend to him before he was carried out of Molineux on a stretcher. The 23-year-old has now been told the full extent of his devastating injury. Not only will Simons miss the remainder of the season with Spurs, but he will also be ruled out of this summer's World Cup in North America in a crushing blow.
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Taking to Instagram, the attacking midfielder posted a deeply emotional update for his followers. He wrote: "They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way.
"My season has come to an abrupt end and I'm just trying to process it. Honestly, I'm heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I've wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me...along with the World Cup.
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"Representing my country this summer...just gone. It'll take time to find peace with this, but I'll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we'll win this fight. I'll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me. TTP. COYS."
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The news represents yet another crushing setback as Spurs battle to stave off relegation to the Championship for the first time since the Premier League was founded in 1992. At the time of writing, the Lilywhites find themselves 18th in the table with just four matches remaining, sitting two points adrift of safety.
And Simons is far from the only key player the club will be forced to do without as they look to finish the season strongly against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton next month. Cristian Romero faces approximately eight weeks on the sidelines after partially tearing his ACL against Sunderland AFC, while Wilson Odobert continues his own lengthy rehabilitation from a knee issue.
Dejan Kulusevski is yet to pull on a Spurs shirt this season due to his own knee trouble, while Ben Davies appears unlikely to feature for the club again - out of contract at the end of the season and recovering from a fractured ankle sustained against West Ham back in January.