Serge Aurier out of AFCON after injury with Ivory Coast

Serge Aurier’s African Cup of Nations is probably over. The Ivory Coast and Tottenham Hotspur fullback left the field during the Elephants’ 1-0 loss to Morocco on Friday with an injury, and said that it could be a bad one.

“I think it may be over because I felt something. It may be a tear,” he said in quotes published by Sky Sports. It was’t clear in what part of the body he felt the injury.

That’s a bad injury on a personal level, and nobody likes being knocked out of an international competition with an injury. But it’s also bad for Tottenham Hotspur. There were talks that Spurs were considering selling Aurier along with Kieran Trippier as part of a “shakeup” of the team. It’s unlikely now that Aurier would be able to pass a physical anytime soon, and depending on the severity of the injury it could curtail if not outright scrap any plans Spurs had to ship him off.

But even if he were to stay, if Tripper were to be sold as expected he would likely begin the season as Spurs’ first choice right back. An injury could also hamper his preseason preparations, and that’s not great either.

In short, this sucks.