Tottenham midfielder Xavi Simons has injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and will miss this summer’s World Cup with the Netherlands.
Xavi Simons suffers serious knee injury (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Getty Images)
Xavi Simons says he is “heartbroken” after a serious knee injury robbed him of his dream of playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup. Simmons was carried off on a stretcher during Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday, where it was confirmed he had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The midfielder appeared to twist his knee while chasing the ball near the byline and fell to the ground in agony. He is expected to be sidelined for at least eight months. Simmons wrote an emotional post Sunday night explaining the situation to her followers, and deleted all her other Instagram posts.
“They say life can be cruel sometimes, and today I feel that way,” he wrote on Instagram. “My season came to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. It’s heartbreaking to be honest. It all makes no sense.
“All I wanted to do was fight for my team, and now that ability has been taken away from me with the World Cup. I won’t be able to represent my country this summer either. It’s going to take some time to settle into this situation, but I will continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that we will win this battle together.”
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“My faith has led me now to walk this path with strength, resilience, and conviction as I count down the days until I get back there. Please be patient.”
Tottenham said in a statement: “We can confirm that Xavi Simmons has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of Saturday’s Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.”
“Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team. Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends their love and support to Xavi and we will be with him every step of the way.”
Xavi Simmons was carried off on a stretcher at Molineux (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Getty Images)
Simmons has scored five goals and provided six assists in 41 appearances for Tottenham since joining from RB Leipzig for £51 million in the summer. He was to be a central figure in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s plans as Spurs desperately try to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Despite ending their winning streak on Saturday thanks to Joao Parinha’s goal from a corner, Spurs remain in the relegation zone after West Ham’s late win against Everton. Tottenham travel to Aston Villa on Sunday before facing Leeds on May 11th.
De Zerbi talked about how he will adapt without Simmons in his post-game press conference over the weekend. “I can play with Matthijs Tell on the left. I can play with (Randall) Kolo Muani on the right,” he said.
“Souza on the right. (Lucas) Bergvall on the left. We have to create. We don’t want to change too much, like going to three or four defenders. We don’t want to confuse the players any more, especially because the tactical tendencies have changed so much this season. I want to say it clearly and simply: when asked, we need to be strong in our heads and keep ourselves positive.”
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