Key Tottenham first teamer in six-week injury scare after Man City clash – reliable journalist
By Alex Stevens
Toby Alderweireld withdrew midway through the second half of Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City because he feared a six-week lay-off, according to a reliable journalist.
The key defender gestured to the Spurs coaching staff that he needed to come off at Etihad Stadium, even though his side were 2-1 down and there were 25 minutes remaining.
A late Son Heung-Min goal secured a share of the points for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who had gone 2-0 down early in the second half of a thrilling encounter.
But Alderweireld gave Spurs their second serious injury scare in consecutive matches after his fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen sustained ankle ligament damage last weekend that will sideline him for six weeks,
Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur, who works for Belgium publication HLN, took to Twitter on Saturday evening to explain Alderweireld “came off because he felt his hamstring was about to snap”.
Terruer, who is closed to the Belgium players based in the Premier League, reported on his personal Twitter account that the 27-year-old “didn’t want to take the risk to be out for five to six weeks”.
Alderweireld has been one of the outstanding defenders in the Premier League since joining from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015, although he missed two months of this campaign at the end of last year with knee damage.
He started in a three-man centre-back system that also included Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer but Spurs were ripped apart in the first half by Pep Guardiola’s team.
Wimmer, who had picked up a booking in the opening period, was withdrawn at half-time by Pochettino as the manager reverted to a flat back four and brought on Son Heung-Min.
In other Tottenham news, a striker has signed after Spurs agreed terms.
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