Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Sat 7 February 2026 13:40, UK Updated Sat 7 February 2026 14:16, UK

Cristian Romero was stupidly sent off in Tottenham’s Premier League clash with Manchester United on Saturday.

At a time when Tottenham boss Thomas Frank could lose his job, the Dane can ill afford for much to go against his team in the coming weeks.

Tottenham are deep in an injury crisis, not to mention the fact that they are just nine points above the Premier League’s relegation zone and sit 14th in the table.

Following Tottenham’s creditable 2-2 draw against Manchester City last Sunday, captain Romero said it was “disgraceful” that Spurs only had 11 fit senior players available to call upon, such are their injury woes.

Now, Argentina international Romero, who started against United after missing the City game due to illness, has landed his team in hot water during their trip to Old Trafford.

Paul Merson tears into Cristian Romero over Man Utd incident

Tottenham have had an excellent recent record against United, the highlight of which was when they beat them in the final of the Europa League last season.

They are six unbeaten in the league against the Red Devils, with three wins and three draws, but that record is under threat against Michael Carrick’s side.

That is because defender Romero was sent off for a poor challenge on United’s Casemiro in the 29th minute. It constituted as serious foul play and referee Michael Oliver gave him his marching orders.

Reacting to the incident on Sky Sports Soccer Special, ex-Arsenal player Merson criticised Romero for his actions in a mocking tone.

He said in a sarcastic manner: “You know what I hope, I hope it doesn’t get silly and United win by four and five, then all the Tottenham fans are down the pub after saying ‘well if everyone was like Romero we’d be alright’. He’s the reason they’re going to get beat now. It’s unbelievable.”

To make matters worse, Frank’s former charge at Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo, put United 1-0 up in the 38th minute.

As can be seen by the Sofascore graphic above, Romero had just 19 touches of the ball prior to his needless sending off.

And while many will take aim at Merson, he does have a point with his comments as Romero has once again let Spurs down.

• Read more: Tottenham swiftly move on from Cristian Romero heartbreak as £34m replacement already eyed up

How many games will Tottenham’s Romero be out for?

Following his red card, Romero became the first Argentine to be sent off for a foul on a Brazilian in a Premier League match since December 2016 (Sergio Aguero on David Luiz).

Moreover, since making his Tottenham debut in August 2021, he has been sent off six times in all competitions, which is more than any other Premier League player during this period.

The 27-year-old will now miss Tottenham’s next four matches. In that run, they have tricky games against top of the table Arsenal, along with a trip to Fulham.

Moreover, they host fellow strugglers Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the end of that stretch, which is a huge blow for Frank’s men.

If results don’t improve soon for Tottenham, a position not helped by their raft of injuries, Frank may not be in the job for much longer.