Micky van de Ven to decide on Tottenham v Liverpool involvement amid injury news
Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to get Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven back on the pitch.
Tottenham will travel to Anfield on Thursday (6 February) to play Liverpool for a place in the Carabao Cup final, and Postecoglou’s side have been handed a big boost ahead of the clash with one key player set to miss out for the Reds.
However, the visitors are without several key players themselves, and it looks as though van de Ven is unlikely to feature on Merseyside.
Speaking ahead of the semi-final clash, Postecoglou said [via Football London, 5 February], “With Micky and [Cristian] Romero to a certain extent, it’s about being conservative with them. Micky got through the 45 minutes but he feels he’s not ready yet for the step up to the Premier League.”
However, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes van de Ven will be the one to make the final decision on whether or not he features at Anfield.
“When he is fit, you want him in the team,” King said.
“However, he will be the one to decide whether he is fit enough to feature against Liverpool. When I look at Tottenham now, they have some exciting options going forward with Son Heung-min, Mathys Tel and Dejan Kulusevski.
“It is no good going to Liverpool and sitting back, Spurs have got to have a go. The first 20 minutes will be crucial. If Liverpool score a goal in the first 20 minutes, Tottenham are in trouble.”
Micky van de Ven to return for Tottenham v Liverpool?
Spurs are a completely different team with van de Ven in the side. Therefore, Postecoglou will be keen for the Dutchman to make his return.
However, after rushing the defender back in the 4-3 Premier League defeat to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 8 December, Postecoglou needs to be careful with van de Ven.
Therefore, allowing the 23-year-old himself to choose whether or not he is ready to play against Liverpool is probably the wisest thing to do.
If he does play, Spurs’ hopes of reaching Wembley will increase significantly. However, if he isn’t able to feature, the nerves across North London could no doubt reach an all-time high for the season.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou’s talks proved key as the club sealed a brand-new transfer.
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