Tottenham Hotspur battered West Bromwich Albion 4-0 on Saturday to move second in the Premier League as they recorded a sixth-straight win.
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But that victory, courtesy of a Harry Kane hat trick, looks to have come at a cost.
Belgian center back Jan Vertonghen, 29, twisted his ankle in the second half and hobbled off injured with 25 minutes to go.
Speaking after the game Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that it is not looking good for Vertonghen.
Vertonghen was injured in January last season and missed a big chunk of Spurs’ campaign. He also suffered a left ankle injury in the summer which kept him out of Belgium’s EURO 2016 campaign.
With Spurs favoring a 3-4-3 formation in recent weeks, losing one of their key central defenders will be a big blow for Pochettino but the likes of Ben Davies could slot in on the left-hand side of a three-man defense like he has for the Welsh national team in the past. Or, perhaps most likely, Pochettino may go back to a 4-2-3-1 with Danny Rose at left back, Kyle Walker at right back and a central defensive partnership of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld.
Whatever way you look at it, this is a big blow for Spurs just as they closed the gap to PL leaders Chelsea to four points.
