Tottenham Hotspur will be frustrated that defender Cristian Romero is having to travel to South America during the international break, according to Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge.

The 23-year-old has been called up to the Argentina squad despite being banned for both matches against Venezuela and Ecuador.

What is the latest news involving Romero?

According to The Athletic, Romero was not named in Lionel Scaloni’s squad on Friday but is believed to have flown out to his homeland in order to join up with the group on Sunday night.

The Argentine Football Association are said to be hoping that his ban will be reduced to one game on appeal, meaning the 6 foot 1 ace would be eligible for the qualifier against Ecuador on Wednesday, March 30. 

However, if the appeal is unsuccessful, then Romero will have had a wasted journey, something that could understandably cause a lot of frustration to Tottenham.

In the international break during November, the centre-back suffered an injury that kept him out for almost three months, while in September, he was forced to miss two games due to quarantine rules.

This latest debacle with the Argentine setup will surely not have gone down well with Antonio Conte and co. as a result, and everyone associated with Spurs will surely be hoping Romero returns fit and ready to play from the off.

What has Bridge said about Romero?

Romero only joined the north London outfit from Atalanta in a £42 million deal last summer but has already encountered several issues between his new club and his country.

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Therefore, Bridge believes the Tottenham hierarchy will be fuming that their second most expensive signing faces a potentially wasted trip to South America.

He told GiveMeSport: “I'd imagine they are (fuming). I think it's the Argentina curse again, isn't it? They just seem to really do Spurs over.”

How well has Romero been playing?

In September, Spurs goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, who also arrived from Atalanta, described Romero as an ‘animal’ who is ‘perfect for the Premier League’. And the robust defender's performances have justified the shot-stopper’s prediction.

As per FBref, Romero has ranked in the 96^th percentile for pressures and tackles, while ranking in the 85^th for interceptions amongst players in his position over the last year.

Meanwhile, his tallies of 2.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 0.9 blocks per Premier League game this season see him ranked joint-first when compared to his teammates in each metric, as per WhoScored.