Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has torn ligaments in his ankle and is expected to be out until February, the PA news agency reported.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury in Sunday’s home Premier League match after being tackled by Aston Villa’s Matty Cash, and tests on Tuesday confirmed the extent of the injury.
The Uruguay international made his first start since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him sidelined since February.
This is another blow for coach Ange Postecoglou. He is already battling a long list of absentees, with nine first-team players missing through injury or suspension in the defeat to Villa.
That list includes summer signings James Maddison and Micky van de Ven, who were instrumental in Spurs’ unbeaten start to the season in first place after eight games.
Both were sent off in the 4-1 defeat at Chelsea in early November and are likely to be out until January, while defender Cristian Romero received a red card against the Blues and has now been sidelined for three games. has been suspended from participating.
Tottenham has lost three consecutive league games and has fallen from first to fifth place.