Tuesday 26 January 2016 10:36, UK
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a damaged medial collateral ligament (MCL).
The centre-back fell awkwardly after appearing to be elbowed in the face by Connor Wickham as he marked the striker at a corner - an incident for which Wickham has been charged with retrospective violent conduct by the FA.
Left-footed Vertonghen was eventually substituted six minutes later in the 75th minute and replaced by his deputy Kevin Wimmer.
And it is now up to Wimmer, who is also left-footed, to continue the strong defensive partnership with Toby Alderweireld that Vertonghen and title-chasing Spurs have reaped the benefits of this season.
Vertonghen travelled with the rest of the Tottenham squad to Barcelona for their warm weather training camp this week and underwent a scan while in Spain.
A Tottenham statement on Tuesday read: "Further assessment and scans have confirmed that Jan Vertonghen sustained damage to his medial collateral ligament in his knee during our win against Crystal Palace.
"Our medical staff will continue to monitor his progress during his rehabilitation to determine when he will be ready to return to training."
Although the club are yet to confirm the player's recovery time, MCL injuries carry different rehabilitation periods depending on the severity of the tear.
Typically, a minor or grade one tear can take up to 10 days to heal sufficiently to return to sport, while a grade two tear can take from two to four weeks to heal.
A grade three tear usually takes from four to eight weeks to heal, unless it is associated with damage to the anterior cruciate ligament, in which case the recovery time may be longer.
Wimmer had been linked with a move to Germany during the transfer window but Mauricio Pochettino had been reluctant to allow the Austrian international to leave the club given his status as Vertonghen's understudy.
