Alderweireld's hamstring injury worse than thought, out until after Christmas

Toby Alderweireld's luck is rotten.

On top of missing Saturday's north London derby versus Arsenal, the Tottenham defender is now slated to be out until the New Year with a serious hamstring injury.

"We expect longer than previously when the problem happened. Maybe after Christmas is the expectation," manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters, per the Evening Standard.

Victor Wanyama, who's hampered by a knee problem, is also likely to miss the weekend's marquee clash at the Emirates.

The good news is that Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Hugo Lloris all returned to full training Thursday. Kane and Alli had withdrawn from England's camp with knocks, while Lloris sat out Tottenham's last match against Crystal Palace with groin trouble.

Alderweireld suffered the devastating setback in the stunning 3-1 win over Real Madrid at the beginning of the month, putting a damper on an otherwise historic night at Wembley.

With Alderweireld scheduled to miss at least 11 matches across all competitions - including a colossal fixture against Manchester City on Dec. 16 - Davinson Sanchez stands to get a bigger role in Pochettino's side. Defensive midfielder Eric Dier is also available as an emergency centre-back.