SOCCER: Romero criticizes Tottenham's 'disgraceful' squad shortage

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero described it as “disgraceful” that only 11 fit players were available during their 2-2 Premier League draw against Manchester City on Sunday.

Romero had to leave at halftime due to illness, with Pape Matar Sarr coming on in his place. Spurs overcame a two-goal deficit in the second half to salvage a point.

“Great effort from all my teammates yesterday, they were incredible,” Romero wrote on Instagram on Monday. “I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available – unbelievable but true and disgraceful.

“We’ll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together. All that’s left is to thank all of you for being there and for always supporting us, the fans.”

Tottenham did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside normal business hours.

The club is missing several key players, including forward Mohammed Kudus, who suffered a quad injury expected to keep him out until April. Midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur are also sidelined. Striker Richarlison and defender Pedro Porro are dealing with hamstring strains, while midfielder James Maddison has been out since last August due to a ligament tear.

During the January transfer window, Tottenham signed midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid and 19-year-old Brazilian defender Souza from Santos, but sold last season’s top scorer Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.

Tottenham currently sits 14th in the Premier League with 29 points from 24 games. They will face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

-Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry/Reuters