The Tottenham star left the pitch in tears after suffering an injury.
The head coach on the touchline keeps on shuffling, but that has not changed much in the Lilywhites’ fate on the pitch as Tottenham continue to struggle to put up performances in the ongoing 2025/26 season.
Roberto De Zerbi took charge of his first game as Spurs manager in the Lilywhites’ 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday as the woes at Hotspur Way continue, with Tottenham placed in the relegation zone in the English top-tier table, just showing how underwhelming a season they have had.
Cristian Romero leaves Stadium of Light in tears
But the game brought bigger worries as Cristian Romero was forced off in tears after his collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in the 63rd minute. And Roberto De Zerbi did admit possible knee damage in his post-game reflection, with tests now set to see whether the Lilywhites skipper has suffered an MCL injury, which could not only end his season but also put a massive question mark on his participation for the upcoming World Cup in the USA.
The collision came when the Black Cats’ #9 Brian Brobbey shoved Romero as the Argentine World Cup winner was trying to shield the ball back to his keeper (Kinsky), but the clash brought both of Spurs’ players to the ground. To add context, it stopped play for around eight minutes as medical staff were treating both players separately.
Kinsky (who was in goal as a deputy to already injured Guglielmo Vicario) got a deep head cut, which was cleaned and bandaged. The Czech man was cleared to play after a concussion assessment (as per protocols), but Romero was not so fortunate as he left the field in tears with Kevin Danso taking his place on the pitch.
The Spurs skipper looked visibly inconsolable on his walk back as he was limping and in tears with his partner in crime, Micky Van de Ven, by his side before Romero was embraced by De Zerbi on the bench.
RDZ speaks on Cristian Romero injury as Argentine journalist gives worrying update
The former Brighton manager spoke about Romero’s injury in his post-game conference. Speaking with Sky Sports, he said:
“Maybe yes [it is a knee injury], but I don’t want to say anything until we know more.
“We don’t know yet [the extent of the injury].
“We have to see in the next few days. I hope it’s not an important problem because he’s a crucial player for us.”
Then a report by Argentine journalist Gaston Edul followed, who insisted that Romero was due to undergo tests given the level of pain he was experiencing.
This will be a massive blow for Romero, especially if he were to miss the upcoming World Cup. And then it will be an equally massive blow for Tottenham, given they are set to be without their skipper in the relegation bout going into the final games of the season.