LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a groin injury in Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Belgian centre half limped off in the 81st minute after going down with the injury and manager Jose Mourinho did not sound optimistic of a quick return.
"It's bad. It's a muscular injury in the adductor. The dimension of course we don't know, we have to wait, but it's a difficult injury for sure," he said.
"We were ruthless and defended really well. Everyone stood up."
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Asked if it was potentially a long-term injury, the Spurs manager said: "I would say so".
Joe Rodon, a transfer deadline signing from Swansea City, replaced the Belgian alongside Eric Dier in defence.
Mourinho suggested the injury was influenced by fatigue.
"We don't have anybody to blame. He played in the international matches that the (Belgian) team needed to win to qualify for the final four. With us he's playing so well we decided to play him rather than rest him.
"There's nobody to blame, just to recover as soon as possible," he said.
Reuters