Tottenham have been dealt a massive injury blow this afternoon.

The Londoners will be without their best defender Toby Alderweireld until the start of February now.

Initially, the Belgian was expected to return next month but the player has suffered a setback during his recovery and he is set to be sidelined for several weeks.

The 29-year-old defender has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the 3-1 win over Real Madrid on the 1st of November.

Alderweireld is set to miss key matches against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, followed by the Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at the home of Italian champions Juventus.

It will be interesting to see whether Spurs bring in a centre-back when the transfer window opens. The Londoners are already out of the title race and they cannot afford to miss out on a top-four finish now.

Alderweireld’s absence has already had a damaging effect on Tottenham’s form so far and Pochettino will have to find a way to cope without his star defender for the next few weeks now.

Tottenham were excellent against Stoke last week and they will be hoping to carry that form into the game against Brighton tomorrow.