Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou on Wednesday confirmed that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will be out for “months not weeks” with an ankle injury, Afrosport reports.
Vicario underwent surgery for an ankle fracture earlier in the week despite playing the entire 90 minutes in their 4-0 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Italy international collided with City winger Savinho in the first half and revealed after the game that he had played about 60 minutes with a broken ankle.
Spurs boss Postecoglou praised Vicario for his resilience throughout the match, confirming that the team will find a way to cope without their first-choice goalkeeper.
“It’s not going to be weeks. It’ll be months,” Postecoglou told a press conference on Wednesday. “He’s had his surgery and because it’s [Vicario] and I don’t like giving timelines as it puts expectations on them. Once we’re in the rehab stage we’ll know more.”
“We saw he picked up an injury during the game and he was sore at half-time, but there was no doubt about him continuing. The fact he played at that level for 60-odd minutes with a fractured ankle was quite outstanding. It is a testament to him as a person. He is as tough as nails, as tough as they come.
“It’s a blow but we’ve dealt with setbacks before, and we’ll deal with this one.”
Since joining Tottenham from Empoli in June 2023, Vicario has missed just four matches, with none in the Premier League.
Postecoglou, however, has backed substitute goalkeeper Fraser Forster to handle affairs in the absence of Vicario, as the 36-year-old has already played in the EFL Cup and Europa League this season, including their 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray.
“That’s not going to happen – I don’t think signing a free agent now is going to help us,” Postecoglou stated, while downplaying the possibility of Spurs getting a new shot-stopper in the January transfer window.
“Fraser, I’ve known for a long time. He’s such a strong character in the group and always ready to play.”
Tottenham, fifth in the Premier League, host Roma in the Europa League on Thursday before taking on Fulham in the league on Sunday.
