Tottenham facing big Micky van de Ven problem that could leave Thomas Frank with no choice | OneFootball

Van de Ven was sensational in two-goal display at Everton and Frank has tough Spurs decision that could be crucial to their season

Micky van de Ven scored twice as Spurs cruised to a 3-0 win at Everton

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Kevin Danso started it and Thomas Frank finished the job.

After a brief wrestling match with his centre-back partner, Micky van de Ven reluctantly moved to the front of the Tottenham queue to take in a huge post-match ovation in front of the away fans.

Frank had other ideas, arriving on the scene to pull Van de Ven to the front again and point at him with a beaming smile on his face, sparking more noise from the stands.

On an afternoon when Spurs defied Everton's previously unbeaten record at their new stadium and some miserable conditions to win 3-0, Van de Ven was central to it all.

Thomas Frank ushers Micky van de Ven forward in front of the away end at Everton

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The Dutchman wore the captain's armband at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and produced a player-of-the-match performance to go with it.

In those celebrations on the pitch after the match, Frank laughed as he pointed to his head and embraced Van de Ven. At the start of the season, Frank demanded that his centre-back score more headed goals. By half-time here, he had done so twice.

Two Van de Ven goals from corners put Spurs in control and Pape Matar Sarr sealed victory off the bench. The result moved Spurs up to third in the Premier League table and if they are to stay there, Frank must find the right balancing act with Van de Ven.

He missed large chunks of last season with a hamstring injury and keeping him fit has been high on Frank's priority list.

“I think the big thing here is that we're building him,” Frank said last week.

“I think he himself has done a lot in terms of doing everything he can to recover in the best possible way. Build his strength in the gym.

“The way he and we built him in the pre-season I think was crucial. And I think he is in a top place, getting more and more robust. So we just need to keep, as you say, be aware and do the right thing. But right now he's in a very good place.”

With Cristian Romero out with an adductor injury and the timeline for his return uncertain, Van de Ven's availability is particularly significant.

He stepped up on the ball against Everton, completing 68 passes. That was at least 21 more than any of his team-mates and there were some line-breaking passes that Romero would have been proud of, one fired through the Everton midfield in the first-half to find Xavi Simons.

Van de Ven became the first Spurs defender in 12 years to score two goals in the same game

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Defensively he was sensational too, helping Spurs to deal with the bombardment of crosses Everton launched into the box.

Van de Ven is probably the first name on the Spurs team-sheet right now but his injury record and a hectic fixture list means rotation is necessary, regardless of how much his fitness has been built up.

He has played more Premier League minutes this season than any other outfield Spurs player and has not missed a second of Champions League action.

The problem is Spurs' lack of depth in defence. Romero is still out and Ben Davies faces a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring issue. Radu Dragusin is in the final stages of recovering from his ACL injury but Spurs will be cautious with him, and Kota Takai is not yet ready to feature. It leaves 16-year-old Jun'ai Byfield as the only centre-back cover.

Joao Palhinha would likely step in as he did against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup if there is another injury, but the 30-year-old is crucial in midfield and an eye must be kept on his minutes too.

There are no obvious games to rest Van de Ven, either. A Carabao Cup trip away at Newcastle this week is a tough one and Spurs' chances of victory would diminish without him. Copenhagen's visit in the Champions League a week later is an option but the team are in need of every European point they can find.

Van de Ven is in supreme form and Spurs need him to be ever-present on the pitch. That would be a major risk to his fitness, but resting him in the Carabao Cup would be a similarly significant risk to the team's hopes of silverware.

Frank might have no choice - his stand-in captain simply can't play every minute of every match. There are no easy decisions, but making the right ones will be crucial for Van de Ven and Spurs' season.