Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Xavi Simons left the team's Saturday match on a stretcher after injuring his right knee in a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, immediately putting his status for the World Cup with the Netherlands in question.
Simons was in a footrace for a long ball from the goalkeeper in the 57th minute, but after taking his first touch, he stayed on the ground in pain for several minutes.
Hopes were raised that he may be able to continue when he tried to stand on his own power, but he soon was back on the ground slapping the field in pain. The stretcher was required to take the 23-year-old off the pitch, and he was replaced by Lucas Bergvall in the 63rd minute.
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Born in Amsterdam, Simons developed his skills largely in Spain before joining Paris Saint-Germain academy and making his professional debut with the French team in 2021. A year later he would make his Netherlands senior national team debut.
He has suited up for the Oranje more than two dozen times and is in manager Ronald Koeman's plan for North America. Simons came into the Netherlands' March friendly against Norway as a substitute and played 21 minutes, then started the second March game against Ecuador, going 71 minutes.
A long-term knee injury could keep him out of the tournament and deny the Netherlands a creative spark in the attack.
Spain – 17th appearance
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Brazil – 23rd appearance
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United States of America – 12th appearance
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Mexico – 18th appearance
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England – 17th appearance
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Portugal – ninth appearance
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France – 17th appearance
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Iran – seventh appearance
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Switzerland – 13th appearance
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Croatia – seventh appearance
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Australia – seventh appearance
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Morocco – seventh appearance
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Austria – eighth appearance
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Ecuador – fifth appearance
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Senegal – fourth appearance
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South Korea – 12th appearance
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Japan – eighth appearance
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Colombia – seventh appearance
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Netherlands – 12th appearance
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Germany – 21st appearance
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Belgium – 15th appearance
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Canada – third appearance
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Saudi Arabia – seventh appearance
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Uzbekistan –
first appearance
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Jordan – first appearance
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Tunisia – seventh appearance
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South Africa – fourth appearance
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Ivory Coast – fourth appearance
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Scotland – ninth appearance
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Algeria – fifth appearance
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New Zealand – third appearance
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Paraguay – ninth appearance
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Egypt – fourth appearance
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Cape Verde –
first appearance
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Qatar – second appearance
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Norway – fourth appearance
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Panama – second appearance
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Curacao – first appearance
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Ghana – fifth appearance
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Haiti – second appearance
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Spain– 17th appearance
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Xavi Simons injury: Will Tottenham star play in 2026 World Cup?
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