Tottenham Hotspur's first choice central defender, Jan Vertonghen, looks set to miss a significant spell of football thanks to a knee injury which he picked up during Saturday's 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
With the capital-based club revealing that the Belgian incurred the injury as a result of his landing having been struck in the face by Eagles striker Conor Wickham (who has been charged retrospectively for the incident), they look set to be without their star-defender for a considerable period of time.
A crucial cog
This will come as a massive blow for Vertonghen, who this season has put in a string of fantastic performances for Spurs, finally fulfilling the promise he showed in the first season he spent in English football in 2012. This has seemingly been enabled by the addition of Toby Alderweireld, who joined Tottenham in the summer from La Liga outfit Athletico Madrid.
Having played together at Ajax, Alderweireld's immense physicality has provided the defensive assurance which previous partners Vlad Chiriches and Federico Fazio were unable to provide - enabling the Lilywhites to boast the best defence in the English top-flight this campaign.
This boost in confidence has seen him flourish this term, and Spurs will desperately miss his languid demenour and precise distribution from central defence, which recently has allowed natural centre back Eric Dier to settle into a new role, in front of the back four which has proven to be particularly effective. Vertonghen's absence will prove to be an added test to Dier, particularly on his distribution, which may now not be bypassed as often.
Opportunity knocks
However, Vertonghen's absence does give a chance to Kevin Wimmer who looks set to deputise for the Belgian. Wimmer signed for Tottenham in the summer from German side Koln, and will be desperate to put in a string of impressive displays to stake his claim for a starting spot in Austria's European Championship team this summer.
Wimmer's opportunities thus far have been limited, but recent performances in the FA Cup have been particularly promising. His distribution may be inferior to Vertonghen's, but he is a more physically imposing defender and he will hope that this plays to his and Spurs' advantage.
Despite Wimmer's obvious competence, Spurs will undoubtedly miss the Belgian juggernaught, who may be out for up to three months as his fellow countryman Thibaut Courtois did earlier this season, having suffered a similar injury.