Cristian Romero has stated that Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham team "need" Giovani Lo Celso at present. In a battle with Aston Villa for the final Champions League spot, a top-four finish now looks very unlikely with Spurs trailing their rivals by seven-points with three games of the season remaining.

Their Champions League hopes have taken a severe hit in recent weeks after falling to four successive Premier League defeats. On the losing side against Newcastle United, Arsenal and Chelsea, Tottenham's latest defeat came last Sunday as Liverpool beat them 4-2 at Anfield.

The visitors did give Jurgen Klopp's team a scare late on but unfortunately they couldn't add to the goals that Richarlison and Son Heung-min netted. Lo Celso was introduced for the final 15 minutes of the contest and once again caught the eye due to his energy in midfield and his progressive passing.

Despite impressing in very little game time in 2024, Postecoglou has resisted the temptation of starting the Argentina international and instead handed him a total of 76 minutes from the substitutes' bench across ten appearances. Taking to his Instagram Stories on Monday, Lo Celso uploaded a photo of himself with Romero and Micky van de Ven along with a message that read 'head up, what a players'.

With Van de Ven adding Lo Celso's post to his own Instagram account and including a red heart emoji, Romero did the same but included a message for his fellow countryman. "I love you little brother, we need you," wrote the defender.

READ MORE: The curious case of Giovani Lo Celso's missing Tottenham minutes after Ange Postecoglou admission

READ MORE: Japhet Tanganga makes Tottenham future revelation amid next target after Millwall loan success

Lo Celso will now be hoping that the opportunity he has been waiting for comes his way on Saturday when Tottenham take on Burnley at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Argentine's last Spurs start did in fact come against the Clarets at the beginning of January in the third round of the FA Cup, a match in which he picked up an injury that resulted in him missing five games.

With Aston Villa in action on Monday evening at home to Liverpool, Spurs have the chance this weekend to up the pressure on their rivals by claiming a win and narrowing the gap to four points. Tottenham face Man City and Sheffield United in the final week of the season, with Villa travelling to in-form Crystal Palace on the final day of the campaign.

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.

Catch up with this week's Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.