Cristian Romero will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after scans confirmed he has sustained knee ligament damage.

The Tottenham captain suffered the injury to his right knee following a collision with his own goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, during the second half of a 1-0 loss to Sunderland. This match marked the debut for new manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Romero was visibly distraught as he exited the field in the 70th minute, overwhelmed by tears. The injury comes at a crucial time with Tottenham embroiled in a relegation battle and the World Cup just eight weeks away.

While surgery is not deemed necessary, Romero’s absence in the final six Premier League games is a significant setback for De Zerbi. The team is currently two points behind safety in the standings and has not secured a win in their last 14 matches.

Romero is expected to be out for up to eight weeks, but there is hope he could recover in time for the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer. Reports from Argentina suggest that he may be fit for the defending champions’ opening match against Algeria in June.

Cristian Romero is out for the remainder of the Premier League season in a huge blow for Spurs

The Tottenham captain suffered knee ligament damage after a collision with Antonin Kinksy

This injury may mean that Romero has played his last game for Tottenham. Should the team face relegation to the Championship, the defender is anticipated to seek a move away from the club.

After West Ham’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Wolves and Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, Spurs dropped into the relegation zone with only six matches remaining. 

Danny Murphy believes Romero’s tears against Sunderland were not for Tottenham and their relegation plight but rather for Argentina, fearing he would miss the World Cup.

Speaking on talkSPORT on Monday, Murphy said: ‘I think his tears were probably because he thinks he’ll miss the World Cup. I know that sounds a bit cynical but why are you crying if you’ve just got a knock?

‘I mean, it did look a naughty one [the collision]. I think he thinks he’s done his knee, I think he knows’.

‘You know as a player when you’ve got a bad one and I think the tears were: “I’m going to miss the World Cup”.

‘I’m not saying he doesn’t care about Tottenham, but what I mean is, that wasn’t: “Oh, I’m leaving the pitch and we’ll lose”.’

Romero’s harmful collision with Kinsky came after he appeared to be shoved by Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey, who escaped the incident without sanction.

De Zerbi had been at pains before the Sunderland game to stress the value of his captain, a World Cup winner with Argentina, a leader and a symbol of strength in the dressing room.

‘Cuti is crucial for us, crucial for Tottenham,’ said De Zerbi in an interview with US broadcasters NBC last week.

‘He is the captain, he is maybe the most important player in our squad. To achieve our goal, we need the best of Romero.’

The Italian head coach already lost winger Mohamed Kudus before his first game with a setback in training as he neared a return to the first team after three months out with a quad muscle injury.

Romero, alongside team-mate Pedro Porro (left), cried as he hobbled off the pitch with injury

Despite being out for the rest of the season, Romero could still feature at the World Cup in June

Kudus, signed for £55million from West Ham last year, may not be able to play again this season and could require surgery.

Injuries have blighted Spurs, with Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison yet to make an appearance this season.

Others still out include Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Wilson Odobert and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.