Vertonghen in fitness race for opening day

After picking up an injury playing against Sunderland yesterday on the world's worst excuse for a football pitch, Jan Vertonghen may not be fit in time for the start of the Premier League Season. A scan revealed that our beloved Belgian has sprained ligaments in his ankle after slipping while playing football in a Hong Kong swamp. The Guardian reports:

The result of the scan on Thursday ruled him out of Saturday's third-place play-off game and whether he will be fit for the start of the Premier League campaign on 18 August is in the balance, with Tottenham's medical team waiting to see how the 26-year-old responds to treatment.

So that sucks.

Vertonghen was easily one of the best defenders in the EPL (suck it, Barclays) last season and losing him to start the campaign is a huge blow to Spurs' ambitions for the season. Luckily, Younes Kaboul, who missed the entirety of last year, is back in training and able to step into the breach should Vertonghen fail to recover in time.

Get well soon, Jan.