Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has suggested that he may be on the sidelines for a number of weeks with a hamstring injury, reports ESPN.

What's happened?

On a night when Spurs earned an impressive 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League, there was a disappointing undertone.

Alderweireld was substituted in the first half after pulling up during a quick sprint in the 24th minute.

Moussa Sissoko came on to replace the defender and Mauricio Pochettino's team ended up securing a place in the last 16 of the competition.

However, it seems that the team could be without Alderweireld for some time, judging by the defender's comments.

The Belgian told ESPN:

"It doesn't feel very good. We'll have to see in the next couple of days how it feels. Something happened, there's no chance I could have played on. In the next couple of games, I'll have a scan and we'll take it from there."

Should Tottenham fans be worried?

Losing a key player when the team are in the ascendancy is not ideal, particularly as Alderweireld has started all 10 of the club's Premier League games.

The 28-year-old has formed a decent partnership with Jan Vertonghen and now Pochettino will have to shuffle his pack for the coming games.

This month, the North London outfit will play league matches against Crystal Palace, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City, as well as a Champions League outing against Borussia Dortmund.

Losing Alderweireld could potentially disrupt Spurs' progress, but they have coped without the defender before.

The concerning thing for Spurs fans is that the club rarely give timelines of recovery, so it will be an anxious wait to find out when the Belgian is available again.

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