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Tottenham showed incredible strength of character to beat Manchester City in the League Cup.
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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has no choice this weekend but to start the £25million signing Radu Dragusin against Aston Villa after Micky van de Ven picked up what appeared to be a hamstring injury in Tottenham's match against Manchester City last night.
LondonWorld understands that van de Ven will undergo assessment, but he is expected to miss the game, which opens the door for Dragusin, who has been sparingly used in the league this season, with the Australian manager preferring Cristian Romero and the Dutch defender.
It’s remarkable that Dragusin, who has rarely put a foot wrong since Spurs beat Bayern Munich to secure his signature, hasn’t yet been considered a first-choice starter. However, his performance against Manchester City last night, where he was easily one of the best players on the pitch, means Postecoglou will be more than willing to give him the minutes he has been craving.
Dragusin has only started one league game all season, and sources close to him say there’s a plan in place to develop him into a world-class centre-back, part of which involves managing his game time carefully. Given that he’s already an established international for his country and is entering his second season at the club, he will likely feel this is his best chance to claim his rightful spot in the starting lineup.
The game against Villa this weekend is crucial for Spurs fans, who were disappointed by their team’s recent loss to Crystal Palace away at Selhurst Park. They’ll be desperate for a win, but Tottenham traditionally struggles against Unai Emery’s Villa side.
Spurs are also dealing with a few other injury issues, including their captain Son Heung-min, who has had a challenging start to the season, and Timo Werner, who picked up an injury in the City match, along with van de Ven.
Villa have become a formidable side and are enjoying another strong start to the season, vying for a top-four finish.