Cristian Romero will not play again in 2021 after Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte revealed the defender’s hamstring injury is “very serious”.
Romero suffered the injury playing for Argentina
in last month’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil.
He will miss at least 10 games between now and January 2, starting with Brentford at home on Thursday, with boss Conte unsure when he will be fit again.
“The news is not positive, the injury is serious,” said Conte. “It will take time before we see him again. Surely next year, we have to check his injury week by week, but the injury is serious.
“Now he is trying to recover, but he needs a long time to recover. It is a pity because he is an important player for us, the injury is very serious.
“I don’t know, January, February. But for 2021, he has finished [play]. We have to wait and recover well.”
Conte: I didn’t speak about January transfers when I took the job
Romero’s injury could force Spurs to act in the January transfer window, but Conte said he has had no thoughts about what next season might entail.
“Honestly, when I decided to become Tottenham manager I didn’t speak about this aspect,” he said.
“When you take a job, you have to make your evaluations and you have to feel your sensation. And honestly I felt Tottenham was the right club to work [at] and to bring my ideas and philosophy of football. For this reason, I accepted the job.
“I didn’t talk about January or the way to improve the team. I repeat: I’m here because I have great enthusiasm, great patience to start new work with Tottenham.”
Romero’s Argentina team-mate Giovani Lo Celso, who also returned from international duty with an injury, will also not be fit for the London derby against Brentford.
“Giovani Lo Celso, like Cristian Romero, they were injured with the national team,” Conte said.
“For sure it was a pity but Giovani’s situation is much, much better than Romero.
“My expectation is to see him the day after we play against Brentford. He’s started to work on the pitch.
“For sure, Giovani is another player we need to try to exploit. He’s a good player and now I want to work with him.”
‘I need to evaluate Bergwijn’
Steven Bergwijn has been linked with a move away from the club in January, with reports in Holland suggesting Conte is not keen on the winger.
The Italian said he has to perform an “important evaluation” of the Dutchman but sees him as part of his squad.
“We’re talking about a player that has important skills and it was a pity for me – but not the national team, because he scored in qualifying for Holland – because I would have liked to have him during the two weeks on the international break to work with him and know him much better,” Conte added.
“But for sure, he has great quality. He’s good one v one, he’s fast, he has quality, he can beat a man and also score. Now we’re working.
“Now also he’s understanding what I want from him. And for me, he’s one of the strikers who can play in all three positions of the strikers.
“Surely he’s a player that I have to make an important evaluation of. But he’s in my squad and I count on him for sure.
“[On Thursday] he’s ready and available. [Against] Mura, he had a problem, otherwise he would have played. But [against Brentford] he’s ready and available and I count on him.”
Follow Tottenham Hotspur with Sky Sports
Follow every Tottenham game in the Premier League this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free shortly after full-time.
Want the Tottenham latest? Bookmark our Tottenham news page, check out Tottenham’s fixtures and Tottenham’s latest results, watch Tottenham goals and video, keep track of the Premier League table and see which Tottenham games are coming up live on Sky Sports.
Get all this and more – including notifications sent straight to your phone – by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Tottenham as your favourite team.
Hear the best Premier League reaction and expert analysis with the Essential Football and Gary Neville podcasts, keep up-to-date with our dedicated Transfer Centre, follow the Sky Sports social accounts on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and find out how to get Sky Sports.
bet365 sport. To add to the In-Play excitement, bet365 stream over hundreds of events live to your PC every year. So you can bet as the action unfolds. See all upcoming sport events you can bet at bet experts. Highlights include Masters Series Tennis tournaments and matches from some of the top domestic Soccer leagues in the world. To use the Live Streaming service you need to be log in and have a funded account. Or to have place a bet in the last 24 hours. Any fixture/event on bet365 website and bet365 mobile which has the Play or Video icon is schedule to be show via Live Streaming. bet bg
Make your bet365 registration. Enjoy a unique experience with bet365 and bet365 mobile!
Our forecasts for upcoming meetings have been carefully examine and provide in good faith, but with no guaranteed earnings. We advise you to gamble responsibly and only with the money you can afford to lose.
✅ Registration at bet365 | Account verification | Deposit money | Sports Betting | How to bet | Live Betting | Watch Live Stream | Offers, Bonuses and Promotions| Casino | Poker
18+ | Gamble Responsibly | BeGambleAware.org
BET EXPERTS