Evening Standard
·25 November 2024
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·25 November 2024
Spurs facing defensive crisis ahead of another big week
Tottenham returned from the international break with a bang.
Spurs thrashed Manchester City 4-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, raising significant hope about the season ahead.
Ange Postecoglou’s side looked an entirely different outfit to the team who lost to Ipswich before the break and the result was made all the more impressive by the fact Spurs were missing two of their key defenders in Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
The challenge will now be to establish some consistency. Capable of beating anyone on their day, the dramatic swings in form have to become a thing of the past if Spurs are going to build anything sustainable.
In order to do that, they’ll need their key players available.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the latest Tottenham injuries…
Van de Ven is back in training for Spurs after suffering a hamstring injury during the Carabao Cup victory against City last month.
Still, the Dutchman will not be rushed back into action and could be ruled out until mid-December.
“Micky is still a couple of weeks away,” Postecoglou said last week.
“He is on the grass training but he is still a coulee of weeks away. We’re hoping by the middle of December he is back and available to play.”
Potential return date: December 2024
Fellow defender Romero has been dealing with toe and hamstring injuries recently and missed the win over City.
Cristian Romero missed Tottenham’s win over Man City
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Speaking before that game, the Spurs boss said: “Romero won't be right for tomorrow's game.
“We're hoping he'll be right for next week."
Potential return date: Unknown
Exciting youngster Mikey Moore has seen what may be a breakout season slightly derailed by a virus.
“Mikey will still be out for a little bit of time as well,” revealed the Spurs boss last week.
“He was hit pretty badly by the virus and because he's young as well, we have to be careful. He's back in the building, but we're going to take out time with him.'
Potential return date: Unknown
A frustrating time of things on the injury front continued for Richarlison after he suffered a hamstring injury during the win over Aston Villa earlier this month.
The Brazilian is not expected back until the New Year.
“Hopefully, he'll be back in the New Year but, again, similar to Micky [Van de Ven], we've got to be careful every step of the way,” confirmed Postecoglou.
Potential return date: January 2025
Summer signing Wilson Odobert is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a “serious” setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.
A club statement released on November 16 said: “We can confirm that Wilson Odobert underwent surgery to his right hamstring yesterday
"The 19-year-old will continue to be closely monitored by our medical team to determine when he can return to training."
Potential return date: Unknown
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