Tottenham defender ruled out for up to four weeks

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero is facing up to four weeks out with a muscle injury, according to reports.

He has become a key figure at Spurs since joining from Atalanta last year, starting both of their league matches so far this term.

However, he picked up a muscle problem during Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, and has been ruled out for three to four weeks, as reported by Football London.

Romero’s setback comes after he was involved in a controversial incident at Stamford Bridge when he pulled Marc Cucurella’s hair in the final minutes of the London derby clash.

VAR looked at the incident, but decided not to take action against the Argentine, and moments later Harry Kane headed home from close range to rescue a point for Antonio Conte’s side.

It was later confirmed that he would not face any retrospective action, but Romero is now set for a spell on the sidelines anyway due to his fitness issue.

Romero is now set to miss several games over the coming weeks, including London derbies against West Ham and Fulham.

He is also at risk of missing the start of Tottenham’s Champions League campaign, which is due to get underway in early September.

Tottenham are scheduled to face Premier League champions Manchester City on September 10, and the 24-year-old could be facing a race against time to make himself available for that match.

Tottenham signed Clement Lenglet from Barcelona earlier this summer, and the centre back may be in contention to replace Romero, while Colombia international Davinson Sanchez is also an option for Conte.

Sanchez came in for Romero for the final three games of last season, and helped Spurs keep three successive clean sheets as they secured a top-four finish.