Xavi Simons faces a long spell out after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, ending the Tottenham midfielder’s season and ruling Simons out of the World Cup, dealing a major blow to both Spurs’ survival hopes and the Netherlands’ tournament plans.

Tottenham confirmed on 27 April that Simons suffered a full ACL rupture in the right knee and will not return until 2027. The club stated that Simons is expected to have surgery in the coming weeks, with medical and rehabilitation plans already being prepared.

The injury occurred during the second half of Tottenham’s 1-0 Premier League win at Wolves on Saturday. Simons collided with Hugo Bueno, initially received help to stand, then went down again and left on a stretcher, with Lucas Bergvall replacing Simons in the 63rd minute.

The timing also ends Simons’ hopes of appearing at a second World Cup for the Netherlands. The Oranje are drawn in Group F with Japan, Sweden and Tunisia, with their campaign scheduled to start on 14 June, leaving no realistic chance of recovery for Simons.

They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way, Simons wrote in an Instagram post. My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup. Representing my country this summer… just gone. It’ll take time to find peace with this, but I’ll continue to be the best team-mate I can be. I have no doubt that together, we’ll win this fight. I’ll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me.

On the day of the injury, Tottenham secured a narrow victory at Molineux, decided by Joao Palhinha’s late winner. However, that result did not move Spurs out of the relegation places, as West Ham’s 2-1 win over Everton kept Roberto De Zerbi’s side in the bottom three.

Opta’s prediction model still gives Tottenham a 59% probability of relegation with four league matches remaining. Losing Simons, a regular starter under De Zerbi, further complicates the task for Spurs as they try to avoid a drop to the Championship.

Simons joined Tottenham from RB Leipzig in a high-profile transfer last year and performances have drawn mixed assessments. Even so, Simons has contributed 11 goal involvements across all competitions this season, with five goals and six assists, second only to Richarlison’s 15 for Spurs.

The extended lay-off means Tottenham must navigate the rest of this tense run-in without one of their main creative players, while the Netherlands coaching staff also adjust World Cup plans. Both club and country now look towards 2027 for Simons’ full competitive return.