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Ange Postecoglou has stood by his decision to take Son Heung-min off before the hour mark against Aston Villa. The South Korean forward has missed the last three games with a thigh issue, but returned to the XI for the home Premier League clash this afternoon.

And with his side trailing 1-0 at the break due to Morgan Rogers' goal, the club captain showed fans exactly what they had been missing early in the second half.

Son delivered a sublime ball in from the left, picking out Brennan Johnson who levelled matters from close range.

But to the shock of both the crowd and the player himself, with the game finely poised at 1-1, Postecoglou opted to take his key man off. Richarlison duly replaced him, with the manager later vindicated as Dominic Solanke scored twice before James Maddison's free kick completed a 4-1 win.

But that was after Son was seen shaking his head in frustration after taking his seat on the bench. He also appeared to utter several choice words while he showed his emotions.

However, the Australian boss later insisted it was a precautionary measure, and one he had already decided to make pre-kick-off.

"He was never going to play more than 55 minutes," he told Sky Sports. "Last time he came back from injury he got to the 60 minute mark and got injured again. He got through unscathed."

However, despite Son coming through unscathed, Postecoglou was left to reflect on another two injury blows. Cristian Romero was forced to leave the field moments after his skipper, and then Son's replacement Richarlison found himself coming back off.

The Brazilian played a pivotal role in Solanke's second goal, squaring a pass for the striker to tap home. But in doing so, he appeared to pull his left hamstring and duly limped off.

Postecoglou admitted it was too early to know the extent of the damage to either player, but implied he wouldn't be panicking. "Richy felt something in the action of setting the goal up," he added. "Romero's was in that challenge he felt his foot was sore."

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Despite the talk of injuries, Postecoglou could at least reflect on another big win for his side, having also knocked Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup in midweek. "After the performance in midweek I thought it was an outstanding effort," he added.

"We stick to our principles, there is great belief in these players, and when we do that we are hard to stop. I felt the momentum was going our way, we knew we would finish strong and if we upped it a couple of gears like we can we knew we would be hard to stop."

Tottenham star Dominic Solanke's brace secured an excellent comeback victory against Aston Villa in north London. The £60million summer signing benefitted from improved service in the second half to seal a 4-1 victory.

A much improved performance from Ange Postecoglou's side in the second period saw them ease past Villa, who went ahead through Morgan Rogers' early goal. Brennan Johnson scored the equaliser before Solanke struck twice. James Maddison added gloss to the scoreline with a sumptuous free kick.

Postecoglou will have huge concerns with injuries suffered by South American pair Cristian Romero and Richarlison, though. Both players hobbled off in the second half, while Son Heung-min lasted only 55 minutes on his return from a thigh issue.

Here is how Express Sport rated the Spurs players.

Vicario - 4

The Italian is a fantastic shot-stopper but once again showed his weaknesses at set-pieces. His lack of presence from a first-half corner allowed Rogers to convert from close range.

Pedro Porro - 6

Spaniard Porro had a much better second half, with Spurs much more intense both in and out of possession. However, he still seemed a little exposed while being dribbled at in one-on-one situations.

Cristian Romero - 6

Romero kept Ollie Watkins at arm’s length for most of the game. However, the Argentine was guilty of a rash challenge early in the second half and would have worried Postecoglou when he soon hobbled off with an injury.

Radu Dragusin - 5

Dragusin has struggled at times during his year in north London and did little to prove that he should be part of Spurs’ first-choice back four. He could have another partner if Romero is out for any length of time.

Destiny Udogie - 6

Left-back Udogie remains one of Spurs’ brightest talents going forward and is rapidly improving defensively. He went close with a powerful right-footed drive in the second half.

Rodrigo Bentancur - 6

Bentancur was often left dealing with Villa’s counter-attacks by himself but coped perfectly well. He was taken off early in the second half.

Pape Matar Sarr - 6

It was Sarr whose excellent anticipation intercepted a promising Villa attack and moved Spurs forward for Solanke's second goal. His combative displays are becoming crucial for Postecoglou.

Dejan Kulusevski - 7

This was a quieter outing for Kulusevski but it was his cute pass to Solanke which helped put Spurs ahead. That is how the Premier League's best players operate.

Brennan Johnson - 6

Johnson has been Spurs’ brightest player in recent months and salvaged a point with another goal. His ability to make runs to the back post has made him one of the Premier League’s most prolific wingers.

Dominic Solanke - 8

Solanke needs Spurs to start providing him with better service because when they do find their centre-forward in front of goal, his finishing is devastating. Kulusevski’s clever pass found the England forward one-on-one with Emi Martinez, and he provided a wonderful dinked finish.

The 27-year-old then struck again with a one-touch finish from Richarlison's cross. Solanke is capable of all kinds of different finishes.

Son Heung-min - 5

Son provided the assist for Johnson’s goal with a delightful left-footed cross. However, the Spurs captain did not look comfortable on his return from injury and was taken off prematurely in the 55th minute.

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Substitutes

Richarlison (for Son, ‘55) - 6

Richarlison injured himself in the process of setting up Solanke's second goal. It will be a disappointment for the Brazilian, who is keen to earn regular starts.

Yves Bissouma (for Bentancur, ‘55) - 6

Bissouma had a positive impact in midfield after replacing Bentancur.

Ben Davies (for Romero, ‘61) - 6

The experienced Davies could be set for more action after making his first Premier League appearance of the season. Spurs will hope that Romero's issue is not serious.

James Maddison (for Richarlison, '82) - 7

A stunning free kick reminded everyone, not least Postecoglou, of his qualities. It's been a tough start to the season for Maddison but this could help kickstart his form.

Archie Gray (for Udogie, '82) - NA

The teenager had little time to make an impact after coming on late on.

Tottenham will be without Micky van de Ven for Sunday's visit of Aston Villa but Ange Postecoglou has revealed his hamstring injury is not serious.

Van de Ven was forced off in the 14th minute of Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

The Dutch defender was emotional as he left the pitch but should return after this month's international break.

"He has strained his hamstring. It's not too serious but probably after the international break for him," Spurs boss Postecoglou revealed.

"He was disappointed obviously and he was looking forward to the (Man City) game so a bit emotional, but it's definitely not a bad one like last time which kept him out for a while."

When Van de Ven walked off in midweek it was reminiscent of when he injured his hamstring last year against Chelsea, which sidelined him for two months, but he will now target the league fixture at Manchester City on November 23.

Cristian Romero and Timo Werner were also brought off during the cup victory and will be assessed before Sunday's Premier League match at home to Villa.

Spurs captain Son Heung-min missed the match after a setback with a recent hamstring injury but returned to training on Friday.

Postecoglou added: "The others were Romero and Werner, but at the moment still a chance for the weekend."

"Son has trained today. If he gets through training tomorrow, he should be OK."

Wilson Odobert is a different story after Postecoglou confirmed his setback from a previous hamstring is "significant".

The former Burnley attacker missed a month of football after he was injured during the 2-1 win at Coventry on September 18 before he returned with a late cameo against AZ Alkmaar last month.

Odobert picked up a further hamstring injury in that match and is set for at least a month out.

"It's significant, so he'll be out," Postecoglou said. "Again, because it's a reoccurrence, we'll have to be a bit conservative."

"I'd say a similar timeframe to his last one, maybe a bit longer, but it's one of those where you don't want to put a timeframe on it because it will really depend how quickly he heals from it."

Tottenham's 2-1 victory over Man City helped them respond to a below-par display in defeat at Crystal Palace last week and make it eight wins in 10 matches in all competitions.

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Only three of those victories have been in the Premier League and Postecoglou knows his eighth-placed team must find greater consistency.

He said: "In the league we have had some disappointing results but really only one disappointing performance and that was the Palace game. It wasn't a great performance and we got what we deserved."

"We continue to evolve, learn from that and when we have had disappointments, we bounce back straight away, which I think is important."

"It is part of the evolution of the team. It is not going to be a smooth ride but within that we don't want there to be too many times when we are not playing the football we want to."

"I have said it to the players, if you want to grow a beautiful garden you have to handle some fertilizer. That is the only way it will happen."

Having already beaten the Red Devils 3-0 in the league this season, Postecoglou appeared to relish both the tie and what will be his first encounter with the Portuguese manager. "Good draw, it's a home game," he said.

"For all clubs, it's welcome, no matter who you're playing it's going to be tough. He'll (Amorim) have his feet firmly under the desk at United by then, and I look forward to meeting him."

Ange Postecoglou has revealed Son Heung-min is in line to return for his side's Premier League clash with Aston Villa. Tottenham will host Unai Emery's men on the back of a mixed week, tamely beaten by Crystal Palace last weekend before bouncing back in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Despite missing the South Korean striker and losing Micky van de Ven to a hamstring injury, Spurs held on to beat Manchester City 2-1 and make the quarter-finals.

Cristian Romero also limped off and despite scoring his first goal of the season in the clash, Timo Werner has also since emerged as an injury doubt for Villa.

Postecoglou has now opened up on the condition of the trio who played. In his press conference on Friday, he said: "Main one, is Micky, he has sort of strained his hamstring.

"It's not too serious, but probably after the international break for him. As for Romero and Werner, at the moment, still a chance for the weekend."

Van de Ven was seen crying as he left the field, prompting fears he'd suffered a repeat of the injury that kept him out for three months last season. But Postecoglou insisted his reaction was more down to frustration than pain.

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"He was really looking forward to the game, so he was emotional," said the Australian. "At least it's not a bad one like last time that kept him out for quite a while."

Son, meanwhile, has missed the last three games with a thigh injury, but his manager confirmed he would be involved against Villa providing he comes though another team session. "Sonny has trained today, so if he gets through training tomorrow he should be okay," he added.

After beating City, Tottenham were handed a last eight tie at home to Manchester United. By the time that game takes place in December, Ruben Amorim will be in charge of the visitors having officially been confirmed as their new boss earlier today.

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven burst into tears after suffering an injury against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. The 23-year-old was picked to start the match but saw his involvement brought to an abrupt end inside the opening 20 minutes.

Van de Ven was clearly in some pain after going down under the challenge of Savinho and required treatment on the pitch. He eventually managed to climb back to his feet but was moving gingerly while clutching his left hamstring.

It quickly became apparent that he would be unable to continue, forcing Tottenham into an early change. Van de Ven looked distraught as he limped straight down the tunnel, with the Dutchman in tears and being consoled by his team-mates.

Alan Smith, the ex-Arsenal striker, was on commentary duties for Sky Sports and said: "That partnership with [Cristian] Romero is the bedrock of the team. If he's not going to be available, that will be a blow."

Meanwhile, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman was covering the match on BBC Radio 5 Live and insisted that Ange Postecoglou made the right decision by replacing Van de Ven as quickly as possible.

"You don't take any chances with hamstrings," said Osman. "They can't get better, they can only get worse. If you're looking at this Spurs team at the moment, Micky van de Ven is arguably the one player Ange will not want to lose."

It remains to be seen if Van de Ven will be sidelined for any length of time after his early exit against City. The defender has suffered a number of injuries since joining Tottenham from Wolfsburg at the start of last season.

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Postecoglou will certainly be hoping for Van de Ven to make a speedy recovery, with the Aussie hailing him as a 'special footballer' after excelling in Tottenham's big win over Everton earlier this season.

"Outstanding, he's a pretty special footballer." said Postecoglou. "Last year when we had that back four up and running, we were a pretty compelling team, but we also know we can't just keep putting them out there.

"With Romero, Micky and Destiny [Udogie], they're not at peak fitness at the moment and they all sort of missed pre-season. So we knew this two or three weeks, we saw it last week about the 60-minute mark, they really started to fatigue and we've just got to be really careful with them.

"If we can get through the international break, then once the midweek games start, we can start rotating a little bit and, you know, because we need them at the peak of their performance because when they're like that, they're outstanding footballers."

Ange Postecoglou has admitted he was not shocked by Manchester United’s sacking of Erik ten Hag in a blunt verdict. Postecoglou's Tottenham side inflicted a shattering 3-0 defeat of the Red Devils earlier this month, with Ten Hag dismissed a little over three weeks later.

The Australian has admitted that the harsh "nature of football" means he is no longer shocked when managers lose their jobs. Ten Hag was dismissed following a torrid start to the season - both in the Premier League and in the Europa League.

Asked if he was surprised that United let go of the Dutchman, Postecoglou responded: "No not really shocked. It's the nature of football these days."

United sacked Ten Hag on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after he oversaw a 2-1 defeat against West Ham. Other losses against Spurs, Brighton and Liverpool had all but sealed his fate. Ruud van Nistelrooy, appointed as assistant to Ten Hag in the summer, will take charge of their game against Leicester on Wednesday.

Old Trafford chiefs are widely expected to commence advanced talks with Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese coach has earned a reputation as one of Europe's brightest tactical minds.

If appointed before the weekend, Amorim could face a crunch face game against Chelsea at Old Trafford. The 39-year-old will also need to see a major improve in Europe, where United have drawn all three of their matches in the Europa League league phase.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou is having a tough time of his own. Inconsistent form has seen Spurs thrash Man Utd and West Ham recently, but there have been underwhelming performances in defeats against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

Son Heung-min missed Sunday’s 1-0 defeat against Palace with a thigh injury. The Spurs captain will likely miss tomorrow’s crunch League Cup clash with Manchester City.

However, Postecoglou expects Son to return for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa. The 59-year-old said: “Son is almost fit but probably from our perspective we'll aim for the weekend.”

However, news is less positive for summer signing Wilson Odobert, who has suffered a "serious" setback in his return from a hamstring injury.

"The only other one missing out which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson, who has had a setback during the week and it seems like it is a serious one so we're just waiting for more information," Postecoglou added. "From the weekend everybody is back and Djed [Spence is] training."

Manchester United can copy Tottenham to solve their woes in front of goal by signing a striker who is a proven scorer in the Premier League. The Red Devils have struggled in the final third this season and had only found the back of the net on seven occasions in the top-flight ahead of their trip to West Ham on Sunday.

United suffered their worst start to a Premier League season after picking up just eight points from their opening seven matches.

That dismal return came after Erik ten Hag had led his side to their lowest points tally of the Premier League era last time around.

Ten Hag managed to keep his job at Old Trafford in the summer after an end-of-season review but has been unable to rectify many of his side’s failings this campaign and is already under huge pressure again.

In the summer, he turned to Joshua Zirkzee in an effort to increase his team’s firepower after the Netherlands striker had scored just 11 goals for Bologna last term.

A year before Zirkzee’s arrival, Rasmus Hojlund was identified as the man to transform the United attack after impressing for Atalanta.

Read more... Premier League star training to become a pilot and helped fly his team-mates

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Hojlund has dazzled in patches but has suffered a series of injury setbacks, while it’s too early to assess the long-term impact Zirkzee could have in the north west. But it’s fair to say the duo haven’t adapted to the Premier League as quickly as Ten Hag would have liked.

United should therefore scrap their strategy of signing talented strikers from across Europe and instead focus their efforts on taking Premier League highflyers to Old Trafford.

Tottenham did exactly that when they completed the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in a £65million deal earlier this year. Solanke netted 19 league goals for the Cherries last time around and arrived in the capital having already experienced the demands of top-flight football in England.

Spurs bought the finished article and they paid less than United did for Hojlund. Solanke chipped in with a couple of goals in his first six Premier League matches for Spurs and has slotted into a well-oiled team who don’t appear to have any issues in front of goal.

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The star was even called up to the England squad earlier this month, with Three Lions interim manager Lee Carsley exclaiming: “A player that has done so well at Bournemouth and now he has taken that form into Spurs. He has got a lot of really good attributes that I really like. He’s extremely talented.”

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou will be confident of getting a tune out of Solanke and may well expect the 27-year-old to at least match his tally from last term. Ten Hag, meanwhile, may be wondering where his side’s next goals are coming from.

The likes of Chris Wood, Danny Welbeck and Raul Jimenez are currently showing up the United strikers in the goalscoring charts.

And when the January transfer window opens, the Dutchman may have to roll the dice and persuade a proven Premier League goal machine to jump ship and join him in Manchester. That’s if he still has a job.

Tottenham only have two full days to recover from their Europa League trip to AZ Alkmaar before facing Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Son Heung-min is an injury worry for the Premier League contest, while manager Ange Postecoglou faces a tough decision over James Maddison, who was substituted at half-time last weekend before Spurs kicked on to demolish West Ham in his absence.

Here, Express Sport takes you through how we think Tottenham will line up at Selhurst Park...

Tottenham predicted XI vs Crystal Palace (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Vicario

Clean sheets may be hard to come by but there are no doubts around Guglielmo Vicario's status as a guaranteed starter ahead of back-up stopper Fraser Forster.

Defence: Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie

Spurs' back-four practically picks itself and it has done since Postecoglou was appointed. Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie provide attacking threat down the flanks, Cristian Romero brings aggression in the centre and Micky van de Ven's recovery pace is invaluable to the north Londoners.

Midfield: Kulusevski, Bissouma, Maddison

Postecoglou could do any number of things with his midfield three, but dropping Dejan Kulusevski is not one of them. The Swedish international has been Spurs' standout player so far this season and he feels that the middle of the park is his natural position, despite being used primarily out wide since signing from Juventus.

Yves Bissouma has likely done enough to keep his place as the deep-sitting player ahead of Rodrigo Bentancur. Then comes Maddison.

There is no doubting that Tottenham were much improved when he made way for Pape Sarr against the Hammers. But Palace have not won a single game all season, so Postecoglou can afford to be forward-thinking and allow Maddison the chance to build on his haul of five goal contributions in eight games.

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Attack: Johnson, Solanke, Werner

Son did not travel to the Netherlands for Thursday's meeting with AZ after last weekend's match left him feeling 'sore'. Postecoglou confirmed on Friday that Son is unlikely to feature against Palace, meaning Timo Werner is likely to play on the left flank.

For the remaining two positions, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are now back in the mix after making full recoveries. Nevertheless, both have work to do to displace Brennan Johnson on the right and Dominic Solanke through the middle.

Tottenham have been fined £20,000 for their part in a fiery mass brawl during their 4-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Saturday. The incident came late on with Mohammed Kudus sent off after an altercation with Micky van de Ven.

Both teams were charged by the Football Association after the game. Kudus, dismissed for violent conduct, was charged with improper conduct for an incident involving Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr following his red card.

The West Ham forward potentially faces an extended ban on top of the three matches he will miss for being sent off for violent conduct. As players confronted him for his challenge on Van de Ven, for which he saw red, the former Ajax player knocked down Richarlison before shoving Sarr.

Tottenham have accepted responsibility for their part in the incident and the FA say that they accepted the standard penalty. West Ham and Kudus await to find out if they will also be punished.

Kudus initially opened the scoring for West Ham but Julen Lopetegui's side lost control and spiralled towards another dismal defeat. Dejan Kulusevski scored before half-time and a trio of goals across an eight-minute second-half spell handed Spurs a comfortable triumph.

Tensions boiled over in the 82nd minute when Kudus kicked out and hit Van de Ven in the face. The Ghana international was initially shown a yellow card.

However, a VAR review upgraded the punishment to a red card, while a further melee ensued. Richarlison fell to the ground after clashing with Kudus, before the West Ham man shoved Sarr.

Kudus may now face an extended ban after being accused of acting in an improper and/or violent manner following his dismissal. The FA generally take a dim view of further aggressions.

Kudus' absence leaves West Ham with a major issue in attack. Summer signing Niclas Fullkrug is reportedly returning to Germany in an attempt to solve his injury woes.

The 31-year-old is yet to start a Premier League match since his £27.5million arrival from Borussia Dortmund. He has not appeared since September due to a calf problem.

Lopetegui is already under pressure to drastically improve results having only overseen two wins in eight matches. The Spaniard, appointed to succeed David Moyes during the summer, has his side 15th in the Premier League despite strong backing during the transfer window.

Former Leeds United director of football Victor Orta is reportedly keen to reunite with Tottenham youngster Archie Gray.

Orta, now in charge of Sevilla's transfer operation, was still at Elland Road when Gray began knocking on the door of the senior side. And the Spaniard has continued tracking his progress since returning to La Liga.

Gray has earned starts in cup competitions and featured in a range of positions under Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, but Premier League minutes remain hard to come by, and he has only been given 34 of them eight matches into the campaign.

According to Mucho Deporte, Orta is 'asking about' the possibility of signing Gray in January with the promise of regular action in Spain's top division. The report adds that Sevilla are 'working on' the operation ahead of the winter window.

A loan exit would be the only feasible option given that Spurs view Gray as a future star, and they forked out £30million to sign him less than four months ago. It remains to be seen whether the north Londoners would even entertain the possibility of a temporary exit.

Gray was virtually ever-present for Leeds in the Championship last season, racking up minutes in central midfield and at right-back. The Durham-born talent even played in central defence on Tottenham's trip to Ferencvaros earlier this month.

Heading into this season, Gray was expected to provide cover for Pedro Porro at right-back. But with Djed Spence reviving his Tottenham career, and plenty of central midfielders already battling it out for minutes, Spurs may feel that they can afford to offload Gray for the second part of the campaign.

And any apprehension from Postecoglou would surely be eased by sending Gray to join up with Orta - a figure he knows well. Sevilla are currently 13th in La Liga with three wins from their opening 10 games.

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Spurs, meanwhile, are back in European action this week at home to AZ Alkmaar. Gray has played every minute of Tottenham's Europa League campaign so far, with a flawless start leaving them third in the overall standings.

The 18-year-old was also given a brief run-out in the 4-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday, as he got one over on former Leeds team-mate Crysencio Summerville before a wholesome post-game catch-up.