The good news just keeps rolling in! According to the Evening Standard, the injury that forced Moussa Sissoko out in the first half of Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United is more severe than thought. Dan Kilpatrick writes that Sissoko is set for a month on the sidelines, further deepening a Spurs injury crisis in the center of midfield.

The injury to Sissoko means that as of now Spurs’ only confirmed fit first-team central midfielder is Harry Winks, with academy graduate Oliver Skipp the other option. However, there’s the possibility that Eric Dier could return for Spurs’ match against Fulham at the weekend. Dier has missed the last five weeks after an appendectomy but has been back in training for a bit now.

Spurs are already planning to sell Mousa Dembele to China with the announcement expected sometime this week, and Victor Wanyama remains out with a knee injury. If Dier’s not ready to go it’s likely that Mauricio Pochettino could push someone like Dele Alli or Christian Eriksen deeper into midfield, or roll with a Winks-Skipp pivot.

There’s also the possibility that Spurs actually buy a midfielder in the transfer window who could help out right away. I know, I know! But that is a thing that could happen in some version of Tottenham’s infinite futures!

None of this is ideal and it feels as though Spurs are snakebit right now. Smile through the pain, everyone. Smile through the pain.