Tottenham are likely to miss Micky van de Ven for Manchester United’s visit on Sunday
A lot has been made of Tottenham Hotspur’s porous defence this season.
Ange Postecoglou has been without much of his first-choice backline for months now, with Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven all sidelined. Radu Dragusin is the latest Spurs player to enter the treatment room, with an ACL injury suffered last month ending the Romanian’s campaign.
The North London side were active in the January transfer window and brought in late reinforcements to compensate for the injuries in defence, with Kevin Danso joining on loan from RC Lens with an option to buy at the end of the campaign.
Micky van de Ven Tothelaneandback
Micky van de Ven has had another injury-ravaged season at Spurs
However, Tottenham’s injury list is starting to shrink with some key stars expected back for the home game against Manchester United on Sunday. Ange Postecoglou could have the likes of Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Timo Werner and James Maddison available to face Ruben Amorim’s side.
Micky van de Ven was also in contention for Sunday’s fixture, but Postecoglou seems to have dealt a blow. According to a report from The Daily Mail, the Dutchman is expected to miss the home game against Man United amid ongoing concerns over his hamstring issues.
The 23-year-old has had several issues with his hamstring since arriving at Spurs in the summer of 2023 and that has adversely impacted his match sharpness. Micky van de Ven has spent the majority of this campaign on the sidelines due to back-to-back hamstring issues. He made his return from a near two-month lay-off following a hamstring injury against IF Elfsborg in the Europa League on January 30.
Micky van de Ven is unlikely to be fit for the game vs Man United
But the central defender hasn’t played since that game, with Big Ange explaining after the win over Brentford earlier this month that they were ‘managing his minutes’ following his recent return from injury. Given the Netherlands international’s long history of hamstring problems, the club’s medical department as well as the coach have opted for a cautious approach.
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Van de Ven is arguably Spurs’ most important defender and his absence in a big game against Man United is a seismic blow for Big Ange. His pace and acceleration help Big Ange’s side play the high defensive efficiently but the club cannot push the Dutch defender to the limit before he is 100 per cent fit.
Given the unprecedented injury situation with many players still out, the Lilywhites cannot afford to be taking any more risks, especially with Van de Ven.