Tottenham have been hit with a hammer blow with the news that centre-back Jan Vertonghen is going to be out until January with the thigh injury he picked up in the clash against Barcelona.
The news was announced at the Tottenham pre-match press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup clash against Arsenal on Wednesday night.
There was some better news, with Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez back in training. Eric Dier is recovering after having his appendix removed and Serge Aurier and Mousa Dembele are “working outside”.
The news was posted by ESPN journalist Ben Pearce.
#thfc Jan Vertonghen is expected to return to training in January after suffering his thigh injury against Barcelona. Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez are back in training now though. Eric Dier's recovering after having his appendix removed. Aurier & Dembele are working outside.
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) December 18, 2018
OPINION
Tottenham have really suffered badly from injuries this season and the Vertonghen news is a big blow. Him and Toby Alderweireld are the best centre-backs the club have, despite their advancing years, and it doesn’t sound like he’s going to be back in early January. The news was “back in training” in January which could mean a late January return to action, or even early February. It will be really interesting to see what team Mauricio Pochettino puts out tomorrow night – we imagine it will be as strong as he can afford. The north London derby against Arsenal is always a huge occasion but this is a real opportunity for Pochettino to win his first trophy with Tottenham. Arsenal will be desperate to get one over on their north London rivals, with a top-four spot looking like an outside shot after they lost to Southampton on Sunday. It’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere and a win will make Tottenham fans believe they’re about to break their trophy drought.