Qatar University Training Site 3, Doah, Qatar - November 18, 2022. Argentina's Cristian Romero during training.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero ‘should be fine’ to play at the World Cup, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.
The Lowdown: Injury concerns
The Premier League centre-back made a wonderful start to the 2022/23 campaign but was later ruled out following a fitness complaint, which saw him miss the final six games before the break.
Antonio Conte confirmed that the 24-year-old’s absence was due to him feeling a lot of fatigue, and this was evident on Wednesday with Romero having played no part in Argentina’s friendly against the United Arab Emirates.
The Latest: Romero fitness update
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dinnery provided a significant update on Romero’s fitness, and it’s one that Spurs supporters will surely be happy to hear.
He said: “So, with regards to Cristian Romero, although there are no guarantees, my understanding is that his muscle problem is fairly short term.
“He should be fine in terms of where he is with regards to that muscle injury, although the consideration will then come for a player who hasn’t played for a month, or maybe even beyond that if it goes to that second or third group game.
“But as it currently stands in terms of the actual injury itself, he should be absolutely fine. Like I said, the other factors to consider would be a decision to make maybe closer to the time, but he’s well on his way to recovering from that.”
The Verdict: Relief for Tottenham
Named in Argentina’s 26-man squad for the World Cup, Romero is a rock at the heart of the Tottenham backline, so it will be a huge relief for Conte to learn that the 24-year-old is set to make his return to action in the coming days and weeks.
The Cordoba native currently averages 2.8 clearances, 2.4 tackles and 2.1 aerial duels per game, alongside having an 87.2% pass success rate (WhoScored).
Those returns put him among the top two for the first three metrics in Spurs’ squad (WhoScored), highlighting his diligent defensive nature.
Lionel Scaloni’s team face their opening game of the World Cup against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, and Romero will no doubt be hoping to stage his comeback at the first given opportunity.
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