This morning, Spurs were dealt some bad news with Jan Vertonghen having picked up a medial ligament injury which could leave him out of the team for at least two months, according to reports by Evening Standard this morning.
Many people feared the worst for the Belgian international when he came off during the 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday after a clash with striker Connor Wickham, who has since been charged with violent conduct, and news of the injury was confirmed officially by Tottenham with this statement:
Our medical staff will continue to monitor his progress during his rehabilitation to determine when he will be ready to return to training.
Vertonghen has formed a great partnership with fellow countryman Toby Alderweireld to solve many of Tottenham’s defensive woes, and the pair have helped Spurs have the best defensive record in the league, only conceding 19 goals this season, and it appears that this injury news couldn’t have come at a worse time for a team who are looking the maintain their fine run of form in the pursuit to a top-four place, as well as challenging for the FA and the Europa League.
Vertonghen travelled to Barcelona with the team for a short stay training camp before their fourth-round FA cup clash against Colchester United.
Tottenham may have some options to play at the back beside Tody Alderweireld until Vertonghen is match fit again. Kevin Wimmer made his Premier League debut against Palace after replacing Jan at the back and has had very few opportunities to prove himself this season.
Eric Dier could be dropped back into a centre back position from the holding midfield role he has played in this season, whilst Federico Fazio could also get another chance to play in the first team having failed to impress on multiple occasions, and having not played a game since the 2-1 loss to Arsenal early this season.
It could be a while before we see Vertonghen back in action, as he’ll need to let the injury heal, then go through rehab before he can even begin to take part in football training drills.
