Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a huge injury blow with Brazilian right wing-back Emerson Royal ruled out for a significant part of the season following a knee injury.
The right-back joined the Brazilian over the international break and was playing in his side’s game against Morocco when he sustained the injury at stoppage time.
The BBC has reported that the injury he sustained requires surgery which could see him miss the remaining ten Premier League games Spurs have for the season. He is reportedly back in London already and will undergo surgery soon.
His injury will be a massive blow for the North London side, who are trying to regain their mojo after losing their manager Antonio Conte early this week. After a fractious few weeks, Conte departed Tottenham on mutual consent.
He left with Spurs sitting in fourth position but very low in confidence after a series of below-par performances. As a result, his long-time assistant Cristian Stellini has been tasked with leading the team for now.
He will be worried that the injury to Royal, which will reportedly take six weeks to heal, could stall his team’s little momentum and negatively affect the player. The 24-year-old has been one of the bright sparks at Tottenham in recent games, with a series of mature displays that culminated in his being called up for national team duties. He has scored two goals in 32 appearances in all competitions for Spurs this season.
He joined the north London club from Barcelona in August 2021.
Without Emerson, Tottenham are now left January signing Pedro Porro as the only fit right-wing-back ready to play. Matt Doherty left the club for Atletico Madrid in January, and Djed Spence was sent on loan at Rennes.
Interim coach Stellini will need to turn to alternatives down the right if Porro picks up any problems in the weeks ahead, with Ivan Perisic a possible choice if the January signing gets injured.
