Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has claimed that Cristian Romero has half an eye on the World Cup, which is one of the reasons why the Argentine has not been at his best for Tottenham this season.
Romero had a wonderful first season at Spurs after arriving at the North London club from Atalanta in the summer of 2021.
Jamie Carragher even named the 24-year-old as his signing of the season back in May (Sky Sports MNF), and it did not come as a surprise when the Lilywhites triggered the £46.5m option to buy the defender permanently in the summer.
However, so far this season, Romero has fallen slightly short of the high standards he set for himself last campaign, in what has been an injury-hit last couple of months (Transfermarkt).
The centre-back is currently nursing a hamstring problem and TyC journalist Gaston Edul revealed this week that the Spurs man is expected to be out of action for ten days, which means he is likely to miss the club’s remaining three games ahead of the World Cup.
Bridge has now questioned whether the injury concerns and the upcoming World Cup are playing on Romero’s mind.
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The journalist told GiveMeSport about the defender: “I do have a slight concern for Romero; he does pick up niggly injuries and we’ve probably not seen the best of him this season.
“I might be a bit critical, but I don’t think he’s having a great season at the moment. The World Cup is on his mind, maybe, I think a number of players are playing with the World Cup on their minds.
“But the fans know what he can bring to the team, and Spurs are weaker without him, so I’m sure he’ll improve in the second half of the season. I also wouldn’t be surprised subconsciously if he worries about his hamstring, that tear last year was a serious injury.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Romero is someone who plays with full commitment and aggression every single time he steps out onto the field. So, I doubt if the World Cup would have been playing on his mind when he is competing. I think it is his lack of momentum as a result of his injuries are to blame for the Argentine’s sub-par performances this season.
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