Tottenham have been served a real blow in their title challenge with star defender Jan Vertonghen facing up to 10 weeks on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Vertonghen, 29, was forced off during Tottenham’s 4-0 win over West Brom at the weekend after twisting his ankle before scan results revealed he will certainly be sidelined for at least six weeks.
The Belgium international has suffered an injury somewhere between grade two and three which means he may not actually return to first team action until March, which would be a serious blow in their pursuit of league leaders Chelsea.
Vertonghen’s unavailability could see Mauricio Pochettino do away with his back three system that has proven so successful in recent matches unless Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer or Ben Davies are trusted in a back three with Toby Alderweireld.
Surprisingly, Tottenham actually have a better win ratio in the Premier League since the start of last season without Vertonghen in the starting XI (70%), compared to when he has started (51%).
For more stats on Jan Vertonghen, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
Wimmer will deputise just fine