Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has revealed that Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has suffered a "serious" strain rather than a tear to his hamstring.
Romero sustained the problem on international duty with Argentina last month and is facing a long spell on the sidelines.
What happened to Romero?
Following a tricky start to his Tottenham career, the centre-back was beginning to find his feet and had played 90 minutes in five Premier League games in a row prior to the international break.
In Romero's most recent club appearance, he produced a fine performance in Antonio Conte's first league game in the goalless draw at Everton, with his WhoScored rating (7.44) higher than any other Spurs player.
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Romero continued his impressive form to help Argentina keep a clean sheet against Uruguay five days later.
However, when the 23-year-old next turned out for his country, he lasted just 53 minutes against Brazil having been forced off with a hamstring injury.
Conte recently said that Romero's injury is "serious" but Bridge shed light on the problem and confirmed that the former Atalanta defender hasn't torn his hamstring.
What did Bridge say about Romero?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "I kind of thought the worst when Conte said we will know more in seven to 10 days, but I'm told it's not a tear, it's a serious strain. So, is that January? He did say January or February."
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How many games could Romero miss?
Conte ruled Romero out of the rest of 2021 but hasn't actually confirmed exactly when he could return to action.
The Italian said: "I don't know, January, February. But for 2021, he has finished. We have to wait and recover well."
Should Romero miss the whole of December and January, he could be sidelined for up to at least eight more Premier League matches, including fixtures with Liverpool, Chelsea and the first ever north London derby with a full capacity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Furthermore, Romero will miss the final Conference League group stage game against Rennes on Thursday and then the Carabao Cup tie with West Ham later this month, with the possibility of missing a Carabao Cup semi-final and two rounds in the FA Cup should Tottenham progress.
Romero will also be unavailable for crucial World Cup qualifiers in January, although that'll surely be the least of Conte's worries.