Tottenham Winger, Clinton N’Jie, Undergoes Knee Surgery

Tottenham Hotspur winger, Clinton N’Jie, is out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. No timetable was given for a return date, but an average recovery time to heal is six weeks.

With Clinton N’Jie undergoing knee surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee this will leave Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino, with one less player to have on the bench for at least a month-and- a-half. Maybe longer depending on the rehabilitation process.

While the Cameroon international has only made 13 appearances for Spurs since arriving from Olympique Lyon on August 15, 2015 — seven substitutions in the Premier League — N’Jie was going to be a big part of the club moving forward with a clear focus on building towards the future. With a solid base of core youthful players between the ages of 18 through 25, N’Jie fits in perfectly.

POPULAR: Back to Winning Ways for Tottenham as They Sit in Fourth Place

Embed from Getty Images

At just 22-years-old, Clinton N’Jie is still a major factor for Tottenham this season but with his knee surgery complete, the recovery process for a MCL tear (grades 1, 2 or 3) will take up to six weeks on average to heal.

N’Jie’s injury wasn’t officially diagnosed as a MCL tear. It was reported as a ligament injury initially. In any event though, needing surgery can only mean one thing. N’Jie suffered a tear and needed to get it fixed in the end.

For the time being, the Cameroon winger’s slow start to his first season in the Premier League will be even slower. It’s not for a lack of trying that Clinton N’Jie has mostly be a substitute player, but for him it must be disappointing to start his Tottenham career off the way it has so far.

With the loss of N’Jie, it opens up a roster spot for Tottenham to fill behind Érik Lamela.

From a positional standpoint, there’s only one other player who can play on the right flank with experience and that is Andros Townsend. Of course, with his current situation, it’s not a lock to see the 24-year-old English wide midfielder be given any playing time in the near future.

Instead, Mauricio Pochettino has opted to add Harry Winks onto his 25-man squad and named the 18-year-old on the bench for Spurs’ 2-0 win over Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, December 19. The addition of Winks could be looked at in a couple of different ways:

• Andros Townsend’s time with Tottenham is over
• Harry Winks is cover at central midfield so that someone else can play right midfielder
• Son Heung-min who hasn’t started a game since a 0-0 against Chelsea might fill in as Érik Lamela’s backup

Harry Winks’ addition to the squad and Townsend’s role deteriorating shouldn’t be connected to one another but it might be. See, the thing is, Winks who plays at central midfield could provide cover for Mousa Dembélé and Tom Carroll.

This gives Son Heung-min, who is recently playing in a reduced role as he hasn’t started a Premier League game since Spurs’ 0-0 draw against Chelsea on November 29, the option to fill a three-way player role. Meaning, the South Korean will provide backup for Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Érik Lamela.

More from Hotspur HQ

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

Since Alli can play in a more advanced role at attacking mid, this helps Mauricio Pochettino round out his starting eleven and bench with plenty of options to choose from.

Namely, with the flexibility that Son offers by playing all three attacking midfield positions as well as striker.

Over at central midfield, Mousa Dembélé would be able to continue playing alongside Eric Dier and form a formidable double pivot. Looked at it in one optimistic way, the loss of Clinton N’Jie who played as a striker with Lyon but moved into a winger position can be mitigated with Son doing the exact same thing, and then some.

Essentially, Tottenham doesn’t miss a beat, so to speak, and Andros Townsend is still left in limbo about his Tottenham career.

Of course, playing Son Heung-min in a substitution role for three different positions is only a temporary solution, because once Clinton N’Jie returns to the 18-man matchday squad a re-shuffling of players will have to ensue.

The first name who would be gone is Harry Winks as he’s an emergency player when injuries pop up. Secondly, N’Jie offers plenty of pace to help change a game whenever he’s on the pitch and would be a preferred option to play on the flanks than Son who is more suited to play inside or up top as a striker.

Next: How Spurs Won: Away at Southampton

In a way, not only is, the 22-year-old Cameroon international’s injury a major loss. But it could in fact help Tottenham stick with what is currently working at two positions, attacking and central midfield. And with Son to help smooth things over until Clinton N’Jie returns — some time in February — a potential forward or midfielder might not be as necessary to sign this January. Only assuming Son Heung-min remains on the bench for the foreseeable future to let Dele Alli start.