Cristian Romero injured his hamstring during Tottenham vs Everton (Photo: Getty)
Tottenham star Cristian Romero has returned to full-training and will be in contention to play against Manchester United on Sunday.
The defender has been sidelined after suffering a hamstring strain in the 2-1 win over Everton in December and was not expected to be back until February.
His absence has been a big blow for Ange Postecoglou as with Micky van de Ven also out injured, his side have been without their first-choice centre-backs, with full-backs Emerson Royal and Ben Davies filling in.
Moreover, Romero is one of Tottenham’s vice captains alongside James Maddison, and with the attacking midfielder also in the treatment room, and skipper Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup, there is a slight lack of leadership on the pitch.
Van de Ven was back on the bench for Spurs’ last game, the FA Cup win over Burnley, and is expected to start at Old Trafford this weekend.
And he could well be joined by Romero, with the Evening Standard reporting that the Argentine is back in full-training ahead of schedule.
It’s a big game for Spurs, who would move into the top four with a win, and could even go second in the table depending on the scoreline and other results.
Timo Werner could make his Spurs debut against Man Utd
Romero’s return is timely, as the Lilywhites’ central defensive options are growing thin after Davies also injured his hamstring against Burnley, while Eric Dier is joining Bayern Munich.
They are however close to signing a new centre-back in the form of Radu Dragusin, who is moving to North London from Genoa in a deal worth around £26million.
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The United game may come too soon for the young Romanian but it is expected that new arrival Timo Werner will make his Spurs debut at United.
The former Chelsea forward recently joined Tottenham on loan having been heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils.
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