Any sliver of injury news is bound to be met with pessimism by Tottenham Hotspur supporters, because over the last few years, no team has been hit harder by bad injury luck than the Lilywhites. They were absolutely ravaged under Ange Postecoglou, and even though his playing style was pinned as the main issue, the luck hasn't gotten much better under a more pragmatic Thomas Frank.
Against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Lilywhites had to hook Randal Kolo Muani at the half after the striker took a blow to the jaw. He should be fine, but he will need scans on Sunday to confirm the extent of the injury.
Meanwhile, Spurs supporters were even more concerned about Cristian Romero. The superstar center back is the team's best overall player, and if there were any doubts about him being the most important, those were answered quite emphatically by just how poorly Spurs were without him in the starting lineup.
That's because Romero had just recovered from an injury, so when fans saw him getting subbed out of the game late for third center back Kevin Danso, alarm bells immediately rang in their heads. Any potential for an injury to Romero would be devastating, especially with Spurs struggling to put away mediocre opposition like Manchester United.
Thomas Frank gives his assessment
The good news is that Romero doesn't appear to be injured and may have just been taken out of the Man United game as a precaution. Tottenham manager Thomas Frank told reporters after Spurs 2-2 draw that Cristian Romero is "fine", via The Spurs Express.
Tottenham fans will obviously stay tuned for any changes in Romero's status or any more concrete updates from Frank, but that sound is the collective sigh of relief of the entire fanbase. Romero is vital to not only how Tottenham defend, but also how they possess the ball, build play up, maintain their shape, and even how they drive forward to start attacks.
Romero is one of the best and most complete center backs in world football, and he's only enhancing his reputation under Frank after breaking out as a world-class superstar under Postecoglou before that. It's great to hear reassurance from Frank that the sub and injury scare was most likely much ado about nothing, but Spurs supporters don't count on luck and likely won't rest easy until they see Romero on the pitch at the next game.