Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Ange Postecoglou calms Micky van de Ven injury fears

sportsmole.co.uk, 10 March 2024, 16:53
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has calmed fears that Micky van de Ven could be facing another spell on the sidelines with the injury that he picked up against Aston Villa.

The 22-year-old was forced off in the early stages of the second half at Villa Park on Sunday, and he appeared to be holding his hamstring.

Van de Ven has already missed a chunk of action this season due to a hamstring problem, with the Dutchman on the sidelines between the start of November and end of December.

However, Postecoglou does not believe that the centre-back suffered "anything too significant" in the 4-0 victory, suggesting that he will not spend too long out of action.

"I'm not sure, he doesn't think it's anything too significant. So disappointing for him because he was outstanding again up until that point. Great for Radu [Dragusin] to come in, his first significant game-time in a big game and I thought he handled it really well," the London Evening Standard quotes Postecoglou as saying.

James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min and Timo Werner scored the goals for Tottenham, with the North London club moving to within two points of fourth-placed Villa in the Premier League table, still with a game in hand on Unai Emery's side.

"The whole game, I was really pleased with the way we handled the whole day. Obviously we knew it was a significant game coming here, tough venue, good opponent," added the Tottenham boss.

"I just thought, obviously the atmosphere here, they get behind their team. I thought with all that, the context of all that, first half we did really well, just to make them work hard more than anything else, they had to try to contain us, and the threats they had we snuffed out.

"I had a sense towards the back end of the first half that they were beginning to really tire a little bit. That was the message at half-time, just to persevere, stay calm, play our football, maintain the intensity, which is going to be important. And we did. We got off to a flyer, the quality of our football was excellent, to see out the game.

"At the beginning of the year we played some big games, we handled ourselves well. But considering the context of the game, the venue and the opponent, i thought it was as controlled as we'd been in any game all year, the way we handled everything.

"It's a positive for us, because again, there's a lot of growth in this team, and it's one of the areas, can we control games, even against quality opponents.

"I still think there's a significant part of the season to go, there's still 11 games for us anyway. There's so many challenging games, and every game will have meaning between now and the end, not just for us but for every team, there's a fight up at the top, there's a fight down the bottom, there's a fight in the middle somewhere, so we're all fighting for something.

"If we had lost today i don't think that would have discounted us, whatever other people put on as targets, I've been consistent in saying what's important for me is our growth as a team. And i thought we saw that today, it was another positive step forward for us."

Tottenham will be aiming to make it three Premier League wins in a row when they continue their campaign away to Fulham in Saturday's late start.

Show more

Top News

24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Justin Kluivert has claimed that he does not expect his Bournemouth teammate Dean Huijsen to still be at the club next season amid interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber is reportedly expected to be ready for the Premier League home meeting with Fulham on April 1. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is reportedly prepared to consider his future with the Toffees after being overlooked for a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's ability to avoid regression next season is heavily dependent on how many stars they can renew, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk England head coach Thomas Tuchel has made four changes to his starting lineup for Monday's World Cup 2026 Qualifying clash with Latvia at Wembley. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lyon Women will welcome Bayern Munich Women to the Groupama Stadium for Wednesday's clash in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has told talkSPORT that he believes Darwin Nunez will not be at Liverpool next season. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Bournemouth star Justin Kluivert has dropped a bombshell on teammate Dean Huijsen's future that no Cherries fan will want to hear. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Premier League clubs will discuss moving the date of the summer transfer window to before the season starts. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Premier League fans are going to be forced to wait even longer for some action as there are no fixtures planned for this weekend. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United great Teddy Sheringham believes the club missed a trick by not signing Harry Kane or Declan Rice. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is reportedly on the verge of joining Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The feeling that Myles Lewis-Skelly could eventually become Arsenal's new Ashley Cole is "impossible" to ignore, but comparisons are premature, expert Charles Watts has told Sports Mole. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk A Premier League giant have reportedly emerges as the frontrunners to sign Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane in the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly set to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong. 24 March 2025 talksport.com A crocodile-inhabited river is reportedly set to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games rowing events. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool target Milos Kerkez has reportedly informed friends of his desire for an Anfield switch during the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Former Manchester United Erik ten Hag is keen on the Juventus job, talkSPORT understands. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly joined the race for Athletic Bilbao attacker Nico Williams ahead of the summer window. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Dwight Gayle was labelled disrespectful for his attack on former Newcastle boss Steve Bruce in a recent interview. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Jermain Defoe revealed he was close to joining the legendary 2000s Juventus side before his return to Tottenham Hotspur. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea owner Todd Boehly expects the club will move to a new stadium in the future but conceded it is a 'really complex' situation. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento has reportedly been left out of the England squad for Monday's World Cup 2026 qualifier with Latvia at Wembley, but Thomas Tuchel has recalled two other players. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Barcelona's Raphinha oozes confidence ahead of facing Argentina in international clash as the Ballon d'Or speculation continues. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Nelson Semedo has insisted that he is 'still thinking' about his future at Molineux. 24 March 2025 talksport.com A staggering 43 managers have been either sacked or left clubs in the Premier League and EFL so far this season. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Lamine Yamal lowered his shorts after scoring against the Netherlands to mock Rafael van der Vaart's criticism of the teenager. 24 March 2025 talksport.com A brand new football competition begins tonight as some of the sport's legends combine with famous faces for six-a-side action. 24 March 2025 talksport.com A brand new football competition begins tonight as some of the sport's legends combine with famous faces for six-a-side action. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Jadon Sancho could still end up back at Manchester United next season as the winger faces criticism over his Chelsea spell.