Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky Van de Ven is reportedly set to miss the remainder of 2023 with a hamstring injury.
The centre-back, who arrived from Wolfsburg in the summer, sustained the injury in Monday's 4-1 defeat to London rivals Chelsea.
After pulling up in agony in the closing stages of the first period, Van de Ven had to be helped off the field by Tottenham's medical staff.
While an initial assessment looks to have ruled out surgery, Van de Ven is still set to spend a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
According to The Telegraph, the Netherlands international is unlikely to feature for the remainder of 2023 due to the hamstring injury.
With Van de Ven expected to be out until January at the earliest, he could miss Tottenham's next nine Premier League games, including fixtures against Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Van de Ven's absence will be felt by Ange Postecoglou, who has seen the summer signing strike up a formidable central defensive partnership with Cristian Romero.
The 22-year-old has started all 11 Premier League games this season, helping Tottenham avoid defeat in their opening 10 matches prior to Monday's loss to Chelsea.
With Van de Ven ruled out for a significant period, Tottenham are expected to look into signing a new central defender during the January transfer window.
Postecoglou will also have to cope without Van de Ven's centre-back partner after Romero was shown a straight red card in Monday's defeat.
Eric Dier is expected to come into the side, but it remains to be seen whether he will be joined by Ashley Phillips or whether Postecoglou will utilise a full-back in central defence.
Richarlison has also been added to Tottenham's absentee list after the Brazilian confirmed that he had undergone surgery on a groin injury.
Like Van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison was forced off against Chelsea and is a doubt for Saturday's away meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Spurs are also unable to call upon the injured Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, Ben Davies and Alfie Whiteman, while Destiny Udogie will miss the trip to Molineux through suspension. body check tags ::
