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Jan Vertonghen made his triumphant return to the Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup on Wednesday night, starting alongside his club and international teammate Toby Alderweireld and helping Spurs to an incredible last gasp 3-2 win in Amsterdam. His return comes after a rather gruesome injury in the first leg where he accidentally rammed his nose in the back of Alderweireld’s skull, leading to a lot of blood, concerns about a possible concussion (that were subsequently dismissed), and his eventual substitution.
As heroic as Spurs’ defensive performance was (and it was!) there’s now concern that Jan might have sustained a new, different injury in that match that could keep him out of this weekend’s Premier League final day match against Everton, and possibly for longer. HLN Premier League reporter and all-around good source about Belgian football Kristof Terreur shared images on Twitter of Vertonghen leaving the Johann Cruyff Stadium on crutches, and suggested that Jan may have sustained a slight ankle injury in the first half, one he played through for the rest of the match.
Spurs’ medical staff currently fear that it’s a minor ankle injury. One that he suffered during the first half. Boot is a precaution.
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) May 9, 2019
Did anyone spot Vertonghen when the players came out again to celebrate with the fans?
So that sounds scary, but it might be a minor thing, and the “precautionary boot” might just be that — a precaution. Still, it does raise the possibility that Jan could miss Tottenham’s match against Everton this Sunday. Davinson Sanchez also missed the Ajax match with a minor injury and we haven’t been given an update on his status either. Juan Foyth is, of course, suspended after picking up a red card against Bournemouth.
If both Jan and Davinson of them can’t go, it’s likely we’ll see Toby Alderweireld lining up beside either Eric Dier or Ben Davies in central defense. Dier is almost certainly starting somewhere, either as a CB or a DM, but with Spurs needing only not to blow a 9 goal differential lead over Arsenal on Sunday to clinch top four, maybe Pochettino uses this as an opportunity to give a Premier League match to a U23 player like Jonathan Dinzeyi, Japhet Tanganga, or Timothy Eyoma.