Argentina’s head coach, Lionel Scaloni, announced on Monday that the severity of center-back Cristian “Cuti” Romero‘s knee injury won’t be determined until team doctors finish their examinations.
Romero had to leave the match in the 57th minute after sustaining a noticeable knee injury and was substituted by Nicolás Otamendi during Argentina’s 2-0 victory against Austria in the World Cup Group J stage.
Argentina has secured advancement to the knockout phase after winning their initial two group matches, with Lionel Messi netting all five of the team’s goals thus far in his sixth World Cup appearance.
Scaloni indicated that medical evaluations for Romero will take place between Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We are uncertain about the seriousness of the issue. It is something he has been managing previously,” he remarked.
“We hope it’s nothing serious—not just because he is a key player, but whoever fills in will perform well. Still, having everyone available is always preferable,” the coach added during the post-match press conference.
The defender from Tottenham first experienced injury concerns in mid-April, when club tests revealed damage to his knee ligament, causing him to miss the last six matches of the Premier League season.
Reports from Argentina indicate that Romero encountered discomfort in the same knee during Monday’s game and will sit out the upcoming match against Jordan to allow for recovery time.