Netherlands star Xavi Simons out of World Cup and Tottenham's relegation fight because of injury

LONDON (AP) — Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons will miss the World Cup as well as relegation-threatened Tottenham 's final Premier League games of the season after sustaining a right knee injury. In an emotional post on Instagram, the 23-year-old Simons — one of the best Dutch players at the European Championship in 2024 — said he is “heartbroken” and that “none of it makes sense.” Simons screamed in pain and grabbed his knee following a challenge by Wolverhampton defender Hugo Bueno in the second half of Tottenham's 1-0 win on Saturday that renewed the team's hopes of staying in the top flight. He was carried off on a stretcher. Simons wrote “my season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it.” “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,” he wrote. “Representing my country this summer … just gone. “It’ll take time to find peace with this, but I’ll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we’ll win this fight.” Tottenham remained in the relegation zone, in third-to-last place and two points from safety, despite its first league win in 2026 and is in big danger of losing its top-flight status for the first time since the late 1970s. Tottenham has four games left this season. Simons, who joined from Leipzig for 60 million euros ($70 million) in the offseason, hasn't been a regular starter for Spurs but has been in the lineup in recent matches under newly hired manager Roberto De Zerbi. He helped the Dutch reach the semifinals at Euro 2024 and was expected to be key for the team at the World Cup, where they're in a group with Sweden, and Their first match is against Japan on June 14. “I’ll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there,” Simons wrote. “Be patient with me.” \\_ AP soccer: