Tottenham Women setback as 100% ace Ashleigh Neville faces spell on the sidelines
Tottenham Women boss Robert Vilahamn has been dealt a frustrating blow with Ashleigh Neville set to spend some time on the treatment table.
Neville missed the 2-0 league defeat against Manchester City at Brisbane Road on Sunday 28 January, and it appears that her injury is worse than first feared.
Vilahamn has now confirmed that the defender has picked up a grade two ankle injury and will not return to action in February.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Liverpool Women on Sunday 4 February, the Swede said, “It’s a twisted ankle, but it’s actually a grade two. It’s a bit more complicated than we first thought and it will probably be three or five weeks she will be unavailable, so she has started her rehab now,” (Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 1 February).
There is a lot of positivity around Tottenham at the moment, and this latest update is not in keeping with that mood.
The North London side have the opportunity to move above Liverpool and into the top five of the FA Women’s Super League with victory against the Reds at Prenton Park on Sunday but will now need to do it without Neville who has featured in 11 of the club’s 12 league fixtures under Vilahamn this season.
Her most recent appearance came in the 4-3 win against West Ham Women at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday 21 January.
Neville started at left-back that day and made four tackles, won five of her eight ground duels, played two key passes and was successful with 100 per cent of her dribble attempts (Sofascore).
She also started in Spurs’ first-ever victory over Arsenal Women, a 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 16 December, and played a big part in what was arguably the most memorable day in the club’s history.
That afternoon she won six of her nine ground duels, made six clearances, five tackles and two interceptions.
It was the kind of performance which demonstrated why she has been so heavily relied upon this season, and in contrast, why she will now be so heavily missed in her absence.
In other Tottenham news, a Spurs expert has criticised two stars who struggled in the victory against Brentford.
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