Tottenham star Pape Matar Sarr expressed hope that his injury is not as serious as first thought after Sunday afternoon’s match against Bournemouth. The midfielder gave Spurs a dream start when he scored the opening goal in the first ten minutes of the match.
Son Heung-min and Richarlison later found the back of the net, meaning Alex Scott’s goal would have been a consolation for the Cherries. After another big win, the injury problems would be the most worrying as Sarr and Alejo Veliz were unable to finish the game due to their own problems.
“It’s hard to say,” said Ange Postecoglou about the severity of the duo’s injuries. “Pape felt his thigh muscle and he is emotional because he wants to travel with the national team. This is a big tournament for them. It’s kind of like how our season has been going. He was so good again at the beginning of the game, apart from his goal, and then he gets injured.
“Disappointing for him, but I hope it’s not too serious and he can still go and contribute to his country. Alejo was in a lot of pain and we had already made substitutions, so we tried to persuade him to just lie down so we could take him off, but that just shows the character of the lad because he knew we had no more substitutes and he wanted to carry on. I’m not sure how much he did, but we’ll find out.”
There was a lot of concern for Sarr after he was seen in tears when he was replaced, but a message on social media gave some hope that he will be all right. On X (formerly Twitter) he posted: “More fear than harm, see you at CAN [AFCON]!”
This is a big boost for the centre-forward, who is now hoping to make an impact with his country at the African Cup of Nations. Moreover, it is also a boost for Tottenham, who are apparently on the verge of the youngster signing a contract extension with the club.
According to The Athletic, the 21-year-old is on the verge of signing a new long-term contract that will keep him in north London for the foreseeable future. This comes a few weeks after Destiny Udogie signed his contract that will keep him until at least 2030, a huge sign of confidence in the team’s rebuilding around its young talent.