Tottenham Midfielder Xavi Simons Out for Eight Months with ACL Injury
23-year-old Dutch international will miss Premier League survival fight and World Cup finals after suffering serious knee injury at Wolves
Quick Look
- Tottenham midfielder Xavi Simons has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his team's 1-0 win at Wolves and will be out for around eight months.
- The 23-year-old Dutch international was stretchered off at Molineux in the 63rd minute and will miss the remainder of the Premier League season as well as the World Cup this summer.
- Despite the victory, Spurs remain 18th in the table, two points behind West Ham with four matches to play.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Tottenham have struggled this season, with their victory over Wolves being their first in 16 league games. They remain in the relegation zone in 18th place, two points behind West Ham with four matches remaining. Manager Roberto De Zerbi was without nine players due to injury for the Wolves match.
Xavi Simons has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for around eight months. The Tottenham midfielder suffered the injury in his team's 1-0 win at Wolves on Saturday and will be unavailable for the remainder of the club's Premier League survival fight. His devastation has been compounded by the knowledge that he will not be able to play for the Netherlands at the World Cup finals this summer. Simons was stretchered off at Molineux in the 63rd minute after twisting his knee in the turf as he chased a ball towards the byline. It is a terrible blow for him and the club, whose new manager, Roberto De Zerbi, was counting on the 23-year-old's creativity in the battle against relegation. Despite the victory over Wolves, which was Spurs' first in 16 league games, they remain 18th in the table, two points behind 17th-placed West Ham with four matches to play. De Zerbi was without nine players because of injury at Wolves while he also lost striker Dominic Solanke during the game to a muscle injury. Spurs are next in action at Aston Villa on Sunday. Simons uploaded an emotional message to his Instagram account. "They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way," he said. "My season has come to an abrupt end and I'm just trying to process it. Honestly, I'm heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I've wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me, along with the World Cup."
Open Questions
- How will Tottenham cope without Simons for the remainder of the season?
- Which player will replace Simons in the starting lineup?
- Will Solanke's muscle injury keep him out long-term?
