Matthew Chadder

Wed 27 December 2023 14:10, UK

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was finally able to share some good injury news on Wednesday (27 December) as he suggested Micky van de Ven could return from injury when he takes his side to Manchester United on 14 January.

Spurs currently find themselves facing a centre-back shortage beyond imagination for a top Premier League side.

That shortage is characterised by the fact that Ben Davies has started seven consecutive matches as a left-sided central defender, despite beginning the season as Postecoglou’s second-choice left-back.

Eric Dier is not in the Australian’s plans, Ashley Phillips is yet to make his senior debut for the club and Cristian Romero has now been ruled out with a hamstring issue that could keep him out for four to five weeks (Football London, 27 December).

This means that Tottenham now face back-to-back league matches in the space of three days without either of their two starting centre-backs. However, when they return to Premier League action in 2024 with a trip to Old Trafford, one of those two central defenders could make his much-anticipated return.

Speaking to the media ahead of Spurs’ trip to the south coast to take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Thursday (28 December), Postecoglou provided an update on Van de Ven’s recovery (Football London, 27 December).

“He’s getting closer, we’ll see him sometime in January. I don’t think Burnley but Man United on the 14th I think potentially,” he said.

Considering the situation the club find themselves in, while this is certainly not a definitive return date, it will be enough to spark joy among supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Having arrived from Wolfsburg in the summer, Van de Ven has settled in at Tottenham incredibly well and quickly become a fan favourite at the club. However, the Dutchman has not been seen since he suffered a hamstring injury in the 4-1 home defeat against Chelsea on 6 November.

His return can’t come soon enough, with his most recent 90 minutes in a Spurs shirt demonstrating how vital he is to the success of his side. As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old made four clearances and two tackles during Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday 27 October.

He won six of his eight ground duels, played nine accurate long balls forward and completed an astonishing 99 per cent of his passes (96 out of 97).

An incredible ability on the ball and blistering speed is what makes the defender so integral for Postecoglou. The 58-year-old likes to play a high line, which can at times provide risk, but Van de Ven’s ability to recover certainly negates this risk.

He demonstrated this incredible recovery speed on his senior debut for the Netherlands in their 2-1 defeat against France (13 October).

Having replaced Manchester City’s Nathan Ake with 10 minutes to go, 4,906,524an de Ven found himself in a foot race, which had he lost, could have led to France scoring their third of the match.

As seen in the image above, despite starting slightly behind his opponent, he showed tremendous pace and got to the ball first, preventing a goalscoring opportunity.

This is an attribute that he has demonstrated many times for Postecoglou’s side, often coming out on top in foot races against some of the league’s quickest strikers.

As well as his defensive capabilities, Van de Ven’s quality on the ball makes him irreplaceable for his manager, who likes to deploy a possession-based style of football.

As per fbref, the young defender ranks in the top one per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for his pass completion rate over a short distance (97.4 per cent per 90) and the top eight per cent for his number of successful take-ons (0.57 per 90).

When Manchester United visited Tottenham on 19 August, they were beaten 2-0, as Van de Ven helped his side keep a clean sheet on his home debut, completing 93 per cent of his passes, winning two ground duels, making one tackle and one interception, and Postecoglou will certainly feel much more confident if the Dutchman is ready to help his side once again for the return fixture.

In other Tottenham news, one pundit has claimed Newcastle could now sign a Spurs player.