Tottenham man Giovani Lo Celso’s injury worrying Argentina staff

Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso is causing concern for Argentina staff after a hamstring injury he picked up while on loan at Villarreal has turned out to be ‘bigger than first thought’. The issue has made the 26-year-old a doubt for the World Cup, with his national team’s medical team concerned he will not recover in time for the showpiece event in just three weeks’ time. Lo Celso’s spell at Spurs has not gone well, with the midfielder failing to meet the standards expected of him since signing from Real Betis in a deal worth around £55million. He struggled to impress under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo before quickly falling out of favour with Antonio Conte after the Italian’s arrival at the club this time last year before being loaned out to Villarreal to give him more game time. However, for Argentina, he is something of a key player having started nine out of 11 of their qualifying matches. He has won 41 caps in total, scoring twice and was expected to be pushing for a place in the first team later this month as the nation looks to win its first World Cup since 1986. Unfortunately for Lo Celso, his participation is now in doubt after he picked up a hamstring injury in the first half of Villarreal’s 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao this weekend. Argentine journalist Gaston Edul has now reported that the injury is ‘bigger than first thought’ which may force national team coach Lionel Scaloni to change his plans. JUST IN: Newcastle have decided their next signing as January priority emerges Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso is an injury concern for Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. (Image: GETTY)The medical team are so worried by the results that they are preparing to undergo the tests again to get a better picture of his injury as they hope to have him available to take part in Qatar. Meanwhile, it appears unlikely that Lo Celso will pull on a Tottenham jersey again with Spurs keen to offload the player permanently. That is according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano who claims he will be available for other suitors including Villarreal. DON’T MISSJuventus have ‘true stance’ on Spurs boss Conte as private chat leakedWhat Arsenal medics ‘believe’ about Bukayo Saka injuryCristiano Ronaldo loses Man Utd dressing room title after record beat Tottenham have loaned Giovani Lo Celso to Villarreal. (Image: GETTY)’I expect Giovani Lo Celso’s future lies away from Tottenham,’ he told Caught Offside. ‘His price tag is around £17-21.5m stopped Villarreal from signing him on a permanent deal this summer, but they love him and he’s key player since returning on loan. But as of now, there are no talks with Tottenham.’ It remains to be seen whether or not Lo Celso will be able to make the World Cup as the Yellow Submarine and the national team await the results of his further tests. Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.