Cristian Romero Injury: Progress and Potential Return Date for Tottenham Defender | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has been dealt a new injury blow ahead of his side's trip to the Etihad Stadium for a clash against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, with Cristian Romero unlikely to feature this weekend.

Romero came off at halftime in Argentina's 2–1 defeat to Paraguay in 2026 World Cup qualifying action. It appears that Romero suffered an injury to his right foot, the same foot that he also suffered a knock on earlier this season in the home win over Aston Villa in the Premier League when he was substituted off after 61 minutes played.

Postecoglou has already dealt with a few injuries in his backline this season that includes the likes of Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence. Romero is a key cog in the Tottenham backline due to his ability to play out from the back under pressure while also remaining a solid one-on-one defender.

When Will Cristian Romero Return From Injury?

As of now, there's no timeframe for Romero's return to action. The 27-year-old returned to London having played his final game for Argentina in 2024 as he now recovers from the foot injury suffered vs. Paraguay.

Romero isn't the only Tottenham player to pick up an injury this season. Here's a list of notable Spurs players that have been sidelined through injury this season so far:

The severity of Romero's injury has yet to be revealed, but it seems like there's a chance he could feature against City or potentially in the upcoming matches against AS Roma in the Europa League or Fulham in the Premier League.

Potential Replacements for Tottenham Hotspur

Postecoglou will likely call on Radu Drăgușin to take up the right center back position if Romero is unavailable to play at the Etihad. Drăgușin hasn't looked too convincing in the backline in Spurs' recent defeats to Galatasaray and Ipswich, but Tottenham don't have many options outside of the Romania international for the position.

The young Alfie Dorrington is also waiting in the wings should Postecoglou want to give him a chance over Drăgușin at right center back. The 19-year-old has yet to make an appearance at the senior level for Spurs but has been included in the matchday squad in the past.

If Van de Ven manages to pass a fitness test for the upcoming match vs. City, Postecoglou could roll with him and Drăgușin or Van de Ven and Ben Davies in the heart of defense in Romero's absence.