Tottenham defender Cristian Romero was in tears as he left the pitch against Chelsea in his first game back from injury on Sunday, before his central partner Micky van de Ven joined him.

The Argentine made his first appearance in 35 days against rivals Chelsea in a fiery London derby after being sidelined with a foot injury against Aston Villa in early November.

He was the surprise inclusion in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI against Enzo Maresca’s traveling Blues, with supporters and pundits hailing his return to the pitch, such is Romero’s impact on the team.

The Spurs boss previously claimed that whether Romero would be fit enough to feature after returning to training at the weekend would be a random one, but he started against Chelsea.

Romero made a bright start to his 12th Premier League appearance of the season, but was left in agony on the playing surface after just 15 minutes.

With high confidence after the hosts stunned Chelsea by taking an early two-goal lead, Romero attempted a backheel during an open-play rally and soon after found himself in serious discomfort.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero was in tears as he left the pitch against Chelsea on Sunday.

Romero appeared to be in agony after falling to the pitch following a backheel attempt

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou (left) hugged Romero as the defender left the pitch

Concern quickly grew as Tottenham physiotherapists rushed onto the pitch and Romero looked drained when he was replaced moments later with Radu Dragusin replacing him alongside Micky van de Ven in defence.

The 26-year-old limped straight into the tunnel to receive further treatment on what club staff hope will not be another long-term dismissal and grimaced on his return to the dugout.

He also shared a brief embrace with Postecoglou who also looked worried as Romero left to applause.

A frustrated Romero sat with a steely face while watching the final minutes of the first half, but thankfully did not appear to be using crutches or wearing a protective boot of any kind.

And things went from bad to worse for the home side, when van de Ven was taken off in the second half after appearing to feel a tight hamstring.

Coming back for an attack, the Dutchman, who was even more surprising than his World Cup winning teammate, broke his shot and his deck held the back of his leg.

It appears that the decision to include both players, in place of Dragusin and Andre Gray, has backfired. Van de Ven had not played since October 30.

Disheartened Spurs fans were quick to voice their feelings over Romero’s latest setback, with some accusing the club of rushing the key defensive figure’s return too quickly.

Romero momentarily hid his face with his shirt after being substituted just 15 minutes into the derby.

Micky van de Ven also came off injured after seemingly being sent off to start the match.

One annoyed fan spoke out over Romero’s early replacement, posting on X: “We rushed Romero didn’t we.”

Another supporter added: “Bad luck for Cuti Romero, wishing him a speedy recovery after his return was cut short.”

Spurs will now carry out a further investigation to discover the extent of Romero’s latest complaint ahead of the busy series of festive fixtures the club are desperate to pick up big points from.

Romero has endured a largely injury-plagued career at Tottenham since arriving at the club three years ago, with his longest spell in the treatment room seeing the World Cup winner miss 18 games for club and country .