After Cristian Romero was substituted early on in the game against Brentford on Sunday afternoon with a suspected concussion, it has been revealed that Spurs will be assessing the player before making a decision on his availability for the next game.
Romero suffered a blow to the head after a challenge with Bryan Mbuemo in the first half of Tottenham’s first Premier League game of the season, but played on and managed to get himself on the scoresheet not long after.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford and Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur down after a clash of heads during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Gtech Community Stadium on August 13, 2023 in Brentford, England. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)
That headed goal would be the Argentinian’s final involvement in the game, however, as he appeared to be in some discomfort while celebrating the goal.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou wasted no time in bringing the defender off the field and replacing him with Davinson Sanchez.
While many believed this to be a standard concussion substitute, Postecoglou admitted after the game that Spurs had filled in the wrong form when making the change and had therefore not followed the process of a concussion injury (BBC, at 16:31).
Will Cristian Romero play against Man United?
Concussion protocol dictates that players must rest for six days before returning to footballing activities, which would mean Romero would miss the next game of the season, against Manchester United on Saturday evening.
However, the fact that the player was not processed as a concussion substitute does leave Spurs with a decision to make, to an extent. Ange Postecoglou is taking no chances, it seems, and has told the Evening Standard that he will “shut up and listen to the doctors.”
The report there claims Spurs will “assess” their centre-half before they make a decision about whether to play him against United next weekend.
If “the club’s medical staff confirm a concussion” in Romero’s case, then the 24-year-old would have to follow the return-to-play protocols and sit out of action for six days.
Spurs Web Opinion
It goes without saying that the player’s safety is the first and only concern here. If Romero is not fit to play, then he absolutely does not play. Judging by how swiftly Postecoglou made the substitute on Sunday, we can expect him to leave Romero out if necessary this weekend.
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