'Tosin Adarabioyo could start vs Manchester United after what I've seen at Tottenham'

Tosin Adarabioyo could be set to start in Tottenham's crucial clash against Manchester United.

That is the view of Spurs expert John Wenham after Jan Paul van Hecke's injury.

The Dutchman suffered a foot issue in the Netherlands' clash with Serbia on 27 September and withdrew from international duty.

That leaves Roberto De Zerbi with a selection dilemma as he prepares to take his side to Old Trafford.

Van Hecke's participation is a doubt for the contest, with no concrete return date shared yet.

Wenham believes that while Marcos Senesi represents the most natural option, Tosin may be a better choice.

Why Tosin Adarabioyo may be in line for Tottenham starting role vs Manchester United

The Lilywhite Rose account owner has seen something from Tottenham training that he believes could lead to a start for Adarabioyo.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “Tottenham released some photos today of the players that have returned from international duty.

"Micky van de Ven was there and seemingly returned for training but no sign of Van Hecke in the photos that Tottenham chose to release.

"That doesn't mean he wasn't there, but I just thought it was an interesting observation that they didn't include him in the photos.

"It doesn't sound like it's gonna be too bad from the Dutch manager, hopefully he won't be out for any period of time because otherwise there's an issue in naturally bringing Marcos Senesi, because he's also a left-sided centre-back and you'd have two left-footed centre-backs and that's not ideal.

"Maybe Tosin would come in to start Old Trafford."

That may leave supporters concerned, but will De Zerbi feel the same way?

What has De Zerbi said about Tosin?

De Zerbi would probably be comfortable throwing Tosin into the side, despite the fact he has only made two appearances so far.

Speaking after the 3-1 Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool, which was one of the former Chelsea man's starts, he said: "the two centre-backs against Liverpool, Senesi and Tosin, played very well, I'm happy about these players.”

As Wenham points out, the idea of two left-footed players at the heart of defence may well be an issue for the Italian boss, so he may feel like he has no choice but to play the right-footer.

In an ideal world, he would have Van Hecke available, but he faces a nervous wait to find out whether that is an option.