Matt Doherty is set to miss the rest of Tottenham's season following the knee injury he suffered against Aston Villa on Saturday, football.london understands.
The 30-year-old Irishman has become a key player in recent weeks for Antonio Conte, with two goals and two assists in five matches as Spurs battle for fourth place in the Premier League.
However, he suffered a knee injury early on in Saturday's victory at Villa Park following a challenge from Matty Cash. Doherty attempted to play on after treatment but eventually had to come off and was seen leaving the stadium with a knee brace.
READ MORE: Antonio Conte's great Spurs satisfaction and Steven Gerrard's Dejan Kulusevski claim
football.london understands that scans on the injury have now revealed that the Republic of Ireland international has ruptured his medial collateral ligament in his knee and will be out for up to 12 weeks.
That not only rules him out for the rest of the season but means his chances of playing in his country's Nations League matches in June are all but over.
No decision is understood to have been made yet over whether the wing-back will undergo surgery. His absence will be a blow to Conte who had been full of praise for Doherty for his performances in recent weeks and hoped on Saturday that the injury would not be a bad one.
"I hope nothing serious, I hope," the Spurs boss said on Saturday. "The doctors are going to check on him tomorrow. I hope nothing serious because he wanted to try to continue to play but then at the end he preferred to come out. I hope so because Matthew is an important player for us and I hope this injury is not serious."
However, it has proved to be a season-ending injury and Conte will now have to rely on 24-year-old Brazilian Emerson Royal as his only fit right wing-back for the final seven matches of the season.
