Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will be sidelined for a period of months, Ange Postecoglou has confirmed, after suffering a fractured ankle during Tottenham's 4-0 win at Man City.
Vicario completed the full 90 minutes of the game at the Etihad but the club later revealed he suffered the injury during a collision with Savinho in the first half.
The 28-year-old underwent treatment and re-emerged limping after the break, going on to make three second-half saves, in a performance Postecoglou called "outstanding".
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"It's not going to be weeks, it's going to be months," the manager said on Wednesday. "Bit of a shock, first of all. We saw he picked up an injury and was sore at half time, but there was never a doubt about him continuing.
"I don't like giving timelines because it puts undue pressure on the player. Once we're past rehab we'll have a clearer idea."
Vicario is yet to miss a single minute of Premier League football since joining from Empoli last summer, playing all of Spurs' 38 games last season and each of the 12 league matches so far in 2024/25.
Fraser Forster, who made 14 Premier League appearances for the club in his debut season in 2022/23, will stand in for Vicario in his absence, having been on the bench for 11 of their 12 league matches so far this term.
Postecoglou continued: "Externally, now people realise it's testament to Vic as a person - he's tough as nails. The fact he played at that level for 60 minutes with a fractured ankle was quite outstanding.
"We've got to process, he's going to be missing for a while. Knowing him, he'll push the limits as to how long that is.
"A big blow, because he was having an outstanding season for us. We've dealt with setbacks before and we'll deal with this.
"Fraser [Forster] has already played Carabao Cup and European games, and there's a reason we have him in the squad. He's ready to go."
When asked whether Tottenham would look to sign a free-agent keeper, Postecoglou said: "That's not going to happen."
He added: ""Brandon (Austin) is improving all the time and Alfie (Whiteman) has been at the club for a while. We're happy with what we've got. I don't think us signing a free agent now is going to help us.
"January, we're always working towards the next window of what the best scenario is for us, and a lot of that will depend on where we're at from the squad perspective and the game's perspective. Just this injury doesn't change any plans for January."
Vicario on Instagram: Injury will keep me out 'a while'
Vicario himself took to Instagram with a statement to Tottenham fans alongside a photo from his hospital bed, where he said he will be out "for a while" and confirmed he had played for more than an hour with the injury during last Saturday's game.
"Sometimes football gives you its highs and sometimes it challenges you in ways you don't expect," he wrote. "I played 60 minutes at the Etihad with a broken bone in my ankle, giving absolutely everything I had for the team.
"Unfortunately there was no way around this one.. I needed surgery. I'm disappointed I won't be able to help the team for a while.
"A massive thank you to the doctors and the staff. The operation went well and from tomorrow I'll be working hard to come back stronger, fitter, and ready to give my all for you again.
"Thank you to the Spurs fans for all the love. See you soon on the pitch."
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