Micky van de Ven absence explained as Spence and Moore start

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Ange Postecoglou has named a Tottenham Hotspur team without Micky van de Ven for the Premier League match at Brentford on Sunday.

Spurs only recently got the Dutch defender back into the team but he is not involved in this game at the Gtech Community Stadium following his 45-minute return in the 3-0 win against Elfsborg. Postecoglou explained the absence of Van de Ven on Sunday.

"Just trying to manage his minutes and we looked at it and it's a quick turnaround," he said. "Speaking with the medical team and Micky himself, we think we'll just keep him on ice this weekend, give him another week of training and then hopefully he'll be ready for the end of the week."

Tottenham added another centre-back to their ranks on Sunday in the shape of Kevin Danso following the knee injury for Radu Dragusin.

Danso, 26, joins on loan from Lens with an obligation to buy him in the summer for €25million (£20.9million), when he will start a five-year contract. The centre-back will wear the number four shirt and will be available to face Liverpool on Thursday night if his work permit is sorted by then which it is expected to be.

However, the Austria international, who grew up in England for 10 years from the age of six, is not available yet for this game against Thomas Frank's side.

Instead Postecoglou has had to pair Archie Gray and Ben Davies together in the centre of defence with Djed Spence returning at left-back and Pedro Porro going again on the right side of defence.

Elsewhere the team mostly picks itself from the players fit and available, with Lucas Bergvall, on his 19th birthday, and Pape Matar Sarr rested on the bench. Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi and Mikey Moore, all scored their first goals for the club in the 3-0 win against Elfsborg in midweek, and the latter starts while the other two are on the bench.

Here's the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected: Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Davies, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma, Kulusevski; Moore, Richarlison, Son. Subs: Austin, Reguilon, Cassanova, Hardy, Olusesi, Sarr, Bergvall, Ajayi, Scarlett.

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