Micky van de Ven will miss Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool on Thursday with injury.
Van de Ven, 23, made his return to the side against Swedish club Elfsborg in the Europa League on January 30, playing the first half before being replaced by Radu Dragusin.
Speaking before the game at Anfield, head coach Ange Postecoglou confirmed he would be without the centre-back, but that January signings Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel are available.
Postecoglou insisted that Van de Ven “had not reinjured the injury” but “I feel we have to be conservative” with the Netherlands international’s recovery.
Spurs have been severely hampered by injuries at the back this season. Dragusin sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against Elfsborg and is expected to miss several months, while Postecoglou described Cristian Romero’s recovery from injury as a slow-burner.
Postecoglou said on Wednesday: “In terms of availability from last week, everyone is fine and got through OK. No issues there. Kevin (Danso) and Mathys (Tel) are both available. They have trained and are cleared to play.
“With Micky, and (Cristian) Romero to a certain extent, I kind of feel we have to be conservative with them. Micky got through the game (against Elfsborg last Thursday) alright but I don’t think he feels ready for the step up in intensity to the Premier League.
“After losing Radu, and this is my view, I don’t want to risk losing them. The other guys are inching closer as well.”
On Van de Ven, Postecoglou added: “We had a look at the figures in terms of the physical output. He does a lot more in training and got through it okay. The Premier League is a whole different beast.
“We have a big week ahead of us. We have afforded ourselves a couple of midweeks without fixtures. After that, Europe kicks in which is massive for us. I don’t see the sense right now in risking that. Having Kevin in is a massive bonus for us. (Van de Ven) hasn’t reinjured the injury. I think we feel and he feels we need to get more into him.”
Since signing for Tottenham in August 2023, Van de Ven has sustained four separate hamstring injuries that have caused him to miss a combined 38 games for club and country. He missed just over a month this campaign before returning against Chelsea on December 7, but was unable to complete the match and was subsequently ruled out until late January.
Archie Gray, typically a midfielder, has found himself deputising as a centre-back. The defence has been bolstered by the return of Ben Davies from a hamstring issue of his own and the signing of Danso from Lens on the penultimate day of the window.
The defensive absences are part of a wider injury crisis that has seen regular starters Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie, among several others, miss a host of games this season.
Tottenham go into the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool with a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
GO DEEPER
Levy and Lange's late rush to give Postecoglou's Spurs squad the 'help' they needed
(Top photo: Getty Images)