When it became established that Cristian Romero was going to miss Sunday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, I'm sure there will plenty of neutrals who refused to believe it was that big of a deal.
I mean, for those with barely half a brain, Romero cannot be regarded as one of the division's finest centre-halves. He polishes Dan Burn's boots and doesn't have anything on old what's his face... the Forest fella... Brazilian... Shoots from 50 yards every few weeks. It'll come to me.
I'm sure those who hold the opinion above are not reading this, given that they clearly do not care enough about Spurs to shift their antiquated assessments of a defender who is, without question, one of the world's best.
So yes, when he pulled up in the warm-up ahead of the game with Aston Villa, it was a big deal. Romero is not only Thomas Frank's captain, but the best progressive passer in the squad. His defensive work sets the tone, and his partnership with Micky van de Ven had led Spurs to one of the best defensive records in the league.
We can only hope that his absence isn't prolonged, otherwise we may be in trouble. Here's the latest on Romero's injury.
When will Cristian Romero return from injury?
Romero's dealing with a groin injury that Frank suggested he entered the weekend's game with. The manager described the issue as "minor", as he also did with Destiny Udogie's latest knee problem.
So, there's hope that Spurs won't be without their captain for the long-haul, with Romero previously enduring lengthy absences as a result of hamstring and groin injuries.
His return date will, of course, be determined by the severity of his setback. Physio Scout on X writes that a Grade 1 strain can be monitored day-to-day, but a Grade 2 injury may result in a month-long absence.
Frank expressed further calm over both Romero and Udogie's injuries after landing in Monaco, with the two players remaining in north London for Spurs' Champions League clash on Wednesday. While the manager wasn't able to provide a definitive return date for the Argentine, supposed club insider Poseidon (not the ancient Greek, but a social media celebrity among the Lilywhite fanbase) reports that Romero is expected to miss the next three games.
The clash with Chelsea on 1 November first is seen as a potential comeback date (what could go wrong!), meaning Romero is set to miss the fixtures against Monaco, Everton and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.