Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly be forced to cope without Emerson Royal for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
The right-back has been the target of incessant criticism since making the move to North London from Barcelona in 2021, but he has nonetheless established himself as an important player for the Lilywhites.
Following the arrival of Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon in January, Emerson noticeably raised his game, keeping his Spanish counterpart out of the XI for a few weeks.
Emerson lost his place in the XI at the start of the month, but his purple patch earned him a call-up to the Brazil squad for their recent friendly defeat to Morocco.
The 24-year-old started and completed 93 minutes in that 2-1 loss to the World Cup semi-finalists, where he was taken off in the dying embers for America Mineiro defender Arthur.
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The extent of Emerson's damage was initially unclear, but a multitude of outlets - including the Evening Standard - have reported that the right-back's injury will be serious enough to require surgery.
While Emerson's injury will not sideline him for months, going under the knife will render the defender unavailable for approximately six weeks, meaning that his chances of playing again this season are slim.
The Brazilian's layoff represents yet another untimely injury blow for Champions League-chasing Tottenham, who now only have Porro as a recognised right-wing back option.
Djed Spence is plying his trade on loan at Rennes, while Matt Doherty was released in January and allowed to join Atletico Madrid, but Japhet Tanganga or Dejan Kulusevski could deputise out wide in an emergency.
Emerson - who has two goals and one assist to show from 32 games this season - joins fellow wing-back Ben Davies in a well-stocked treatment room after the Welshman sustained a thigh injury against Southampton two weekends ago.
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Davies is expected to miss anywhere between four to six weeks with his own issue, while Ryan Sessegnon is in the final stages of rehabilitation from a similar problem, leaving Ivan Perisic to hold the fort on the left.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur is still several months away from making his comeback from an ACL injury, while no timeframe has been placed on Yves Bissouma, who is recovering from ankle surgery - the same can be said for Richarlison's muscular issue.
On a brighter note, first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is on the verge of a comeback from a knee injury, and the Frenchman was able to take part in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Ipswich Town last week.
Tottenham - who parted ways with manager Antonio Conte by mutual consent on Sunday night - are back in Premier League action on Monday when they travel to relegation-threatened Everton.
Cristian Stellini's men sit two points clear of Newcastle United in fourth place, but the Magpies have two games in hand, and Spurs still have to meet Eddie Howe's side, Manchester United and Liverpool before the start of May.
Ben Knapton
