Tottenham Hotspur's list of concerns are tallying up following their 1-0 defeat against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. 

A potentially season-defining injury collected by Harry Kane in the dying seconds of the headline-fixture of the weekend could yet define their winter window, as Pochettino is left with a limited number of options to chose from at the spearhead of his attack with Son Heung-min also set to depart for the Asia Cup.

But it's not only short-term issues that will be lending Pochettino plenty of cause for concern this month. The future of Christian Eriksen (valued at £72 million by Transfermarkt) has been running as a notable sub-plot for the entirety of the season so far, and with an agreement over a fresh contract seemingly not in the pipeline the door could be open for Real Madrid to secure a deal in the summer.

Speculation has rumbled on regarding interest from Los Blancos in recent months, and Spanish football expert and highly-respected journalist, Graham Hunter, confirmed the worst fears of Tottenham supporters while speaking on Sky Sports' Transfer Talk podcast recently (11/01/19).

“There is no question whatsoever that Real Madrid see Eriksen as the perfect signing, they would like to add him to their squad this summer. I can't tell you that they’ll be able to do that because I think everyone on this podcast has learned a very quick respect for how Daniel Levy conducts his transfer market negotiations."

Hunter's admission has served to confirm the suspicions and the fears of supporters who will be dreading the prospect of Eriksen's departure. The lure of the Spanish capital is one which will understandably appeal to the Denmark international at a key moment in his career, and with the extension of his current deal bound to boost his transfer value it's easy to understand the origin of this Mexican style standoff.

Hunter later went on to add: "Frankly, at the moment, I don’t see too many indications that he’s [Eriksen] desperate to renew.”

Defeat against United has all but ended Tottenham's hopes of realistically clinching the Premier League title this season, so unless Pochettino is able to mastermind a route to Champions League glory it seems unlikely that Eriksen will extend his current deal.

That in turn will put Levy in a position in which his shrewd business instincts will force him to sell Tottenham's ethereal playmaking wizard in the summer, even if it is a painfully regretful deal to sanction.

Tottenham Hotspur fans - thoughts? Let us know below!