De Zerbi: Romero out for the season, but Bentancur available vs. Brighton

TL;DR

Cristian Romero is out for the season due to an MCL knee injury, while Rodrigo Bentancur is available for the match against Brighton. Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that Kevin Danso will likely replace Romero in the lineup.

Key points

Cristian Romero is out for the season due to an MCL injury.
Rodrigo Bentancur is available for the match against Brighton.
Kevin Danso is likely to replace Romero in the lineup.
De Zerbi is cautious about James Maddison's return to play.

Tottenham HotspurBrighton and Hove Albion

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - APRIL 12: Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur looks dejected during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur at Stadium of Light on April 12, 2026 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) | Getty Images Roberto De Zerbi gave his press conference in front of the assembled media ahead of Saturday’s (once again) critical Premier League match at home against his former club, Brighton and Hove Albion. And while nothing he said was particularly NEW, we did get a couple of confirmations about player ability. First off — confirming what we already knew: Cristian Romero’s MCL knee injury means that while it isn’t as serious as it could be he still won’t recover in time to play in any of Spurs’ remaining Premier League matches. He’s out for the season, and De Zerbi said that the player is “suffering” because “he loves Tottenham.”

“Romero I’m really sorry for him, for his injury. Romero, first of all loves Tottenham and the people have to know he is suffering for this injury. He is suffering because he can’t play anymore for us this season but he is a great captain for us, for Tottenham.

“But we have to be anyway positive. We have Radu Dragusin and . They are available to play, to play well, to give us quality with the ball and to be strong in the defensive phase. We can win anyway and we want to win anyway.” Now, I think it’s safe to say that Kevin Danso will be the one to slot beside and not Radu Dragusin, but it is at least a little comforting that we have two senior CBs available to slot in if necessary. Danso has been a steady hand at the wheel this season whenever Romero’s been out due to injury or suspension, and I expect that will continue. De Zerbi then went on to address , who was photographed working in full training for Spurs this week. The Tottenham manager didn’t want to get drawn into speculation, noting that ’s recent setback and noting that it was because the club perhaps pushed him too fast in his recovery. “I don’t know [about Maddison], I don’t know yet. I don’t want to push too much because we lost Kudus in this way. I used to waiting the players when they are available, totally available to play and to restart the training. Because it’s better to lose one game more than to take a risk for another new injury.” De Zerbi then confirmed that is still out recovering from his recent surgery, but and are both available to play vs. tomorrow. Whether Bentancur will or not is an open question; I’d suggest he’s much more likely to start on the bench and come in as a second half substitute for minutes, but that’s just a guess. “Bentancur is available to play. I don’t know if he will start the game or not. Bissouma is available 100 per cent, more than the Sunderland game.

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