Simons blow will force De Zerbi to unleash Bergvall, he can be a relegation wildcard for Tottenham

Simons blow will force De Zerbi to unleash Bergvall, he can be a relegation wildcard for Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Xavi Simons is out for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury.

The Spurs playmaker will also miss the World Cup after picking up the knee injury over the weekend. It remains unclear how long the Dutch international will be out for.

The injury has hampered Simons just when he was beginning to look the part in Tottenham colours following his big-money transfer switch from Germany.

This setback is a massive blow for Tottenham as they bid to escape the relegation zone with four games left.

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi will be forced into a bold call that could redefine their run-in.

Simons’ injury strips Spurs of their most dynamic attacking outlet, leaving a creative vacuum they cannot fill like-for-like.

With James Maddison’s workload needing careful management, De Zerbi may have little choice but to turn to Lucas Bergvall, a player many believe is too good to be sitting on the fringes.

The Swedish teenager has endured a slow start. He had a shaky display against Sunderland in De Zerbi’s opening game.