(Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur’s Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven has suffered a hamstring strain and will not be available until after the November international break, manager Ange Postecoglou said on Friday.
Spurs host fourth-placed Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, with Unai Emery’s side holding a five-point lead over the Londoners who are eighth on 13 points.
Van de Ven sustained the injury during Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the midweek League Cup fourth round game, leaving the field distressed in the 14th minute.
“Micky is the main one. He has strained a hamstring but it is not too serious. But probably after the international break for him,” Postecoglou told reporters.
“He is disappointed obviously and was looking forward to the game. He will work hard and the international break is an extra two weeks so hopefully he does not miss much.”
The Dutch host Hungary on Nov. 16 and visit Bosnia three days later in Nations League Group A3. They are in second five points behind Germany and above Hungary on goal difference.
The 23-year-old Van de Ven missed six weeks of his debut season after a hamstring injury last November but Postecoglou said “it’s certainly not one of the bad ones like last time.”
“The other (concerning) one was (Cristian) Romero and (Timo) Werner but they still have a chance for the weekend.
“Sonny trained today and if he gets through tomorrow should be okay,” he added referring to Son Heung-Min who has returned to training after missing four games across all competitions.
Postecoglou was also asked about his side again being labelled ‘Spursy’ following their 1-0 loss at lowly Crystal Palace in their last league game and then the Manchester City win that secured a place in the League Cup quarter-finals.
“It is still something people will throw at us. You have to accept that until you prove otherwise,” he said.
“The other night was a strong performance against a formidable side (City). It was an unbelievable physical effort but that’s what I think you have to do against a team like City. (We) just keep focusing on what is important to us.”
Spurs will now aim to restore their league momentum and narrow the gap with Villa, who are again in the mix for Champions League qualification.
“When (Emery) was at Arsenal people were quick to be dismissive of him. (Villa) continue to get stronger and challenge. It will be a good test for us,” Postecoglou added.
“Our games against them have been really good. They got ahead of us for the Champions League last season. I hope it’s a miserable birthday for Emery on Sunday (when he turns 53)!”
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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