Taking to Twitter, The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare has shared some surprising news involving Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero.

The Lowdown: Romero’s importance to Spurs

Since arriving at the north London club at the start of the season, the 23-year-old has proven to be an valuable asset to Antonio Conte’s side. The centre-back leads the squad with an average of 2.4 tackles and 1.4 interceptions in the league, and a further 2.5 interceptions in the Carabao Cup (via WhoScored).

Since recovering from the hamstring injury which kept him out of action for 17 matches, Romero has featured in every single Premier League game, handing his manager a huge boost when it comes to bolstering his defensive options.

Indeed, Conte himself has said of the Argentine: "He is an important player for me and the team. He is strong and he anticipates, he has a good personality to play with the ball. He has good experience and I like him."

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The Latest: Romero flies out to Argentina

However, some news has come to light which could threaten to disrupt Romero's fine form and antagonise Tottenham chiefs.

Eccleshare took to Twitter to share a report from his The Athletic colleague David Ornstein, with the caption: “Despite being banned for both games, understand Cristian Romero has been called up to the Argentina squad, with AFA hoping his ban will be reduced to 1 match. He is said to have flown out last night. #THFC will be keeping everything crossed he stays fit”

Ornstein's report mentioned that Spurs could feel concerned about Romero joining up with his country, especially with the distinct possibility that the 23-year-old doesn't end up playing in Argentina's upcoming matches.

The Verdict: Potential blow for Spurs

If Romero's ban is reduced and he is made eligible for Argentina’s clash against Ecuador, this could lead to a huge blow for Tottenham.

Minds would duly flash back to his previous link-up with the national team back in November, when Romero suffered the hamstring injury which kept him out for almost three months, duly dealing Spurs a huge defensive blow.

With Argentina having already qualified for the World Cup, and the player's current suspension rendering him unavailable, Conte will surely be concerned with this seemingly pointless call-up for Romero, given the potential risk of injury to the defender.

In other news: Graham Roberts slams one Tottenham player after latest setback