Romero criticises Tottenham's 'disgraceful' squad shortage

Feb 3 : Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero said it was "disgraceful" that only 11 fit players were available during their 2-2 Premier League draw against Manchester City on Sunday.

Romero had to withdraw at halftime due to illness with Pape Matar Sarr coming on in his place, as the North London club overcame the two-goal deficit in the second half to salvage a point.

"Great effort from all my team-mates yesterday, they were incredible," Romero wrote in a post on Instagram on Monday.

"I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn't feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available - unbelievable but true and disgraceful.

"We'll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together. All that's left is to thank all of you for being there and for always supporting us, the fans."

Tottenham did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Spurs are presently without forward Mohammed Kudus who suffered a quad injury that is expected to keep him out until April, while midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have also been sidelined due to injuries.

Striker Richarlison and defender Pedro Porro are also dealing with hamstring strains, while midfielder James Maddison has been out of action since last August due to a ligament tear.

The club signed midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, along with the 19-year-old Brazilian defender Souza from Santos in the January window, but sold last season's top scorer Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.

Tottenham, who are 14th in the Premier League table with 29 points in 24 games, will face Manchester United on Saturday at Old Trafford.