Tottenham Hotspur were dealt a double Dutch injury blow over the international break as centre-halves Micky van de Ven (hand) and Jan Paul van Hecke (foot) picked up issues.
The former’s injury doesn’t sound serious at all (“he’s okay”), at least, while Van Hecke suffered a foot problem during the Netherlands’ match against Serbia last Tuesday but did then take part, very briefly, in a training session the following morning.
Reports suggest the former Brighton man lasted just seven minutes and retreated to the dugout after a chat with head coach Xavi. He then returned to Spurs for the duration of the break.
More broadly, Mykhailo Mudryk (ankle), Xavi Simons (knee) and Wilson Odobert (knee) remain unavailable, but Dejan Kulusevski (knee) is understood to be inching closer to a return after nearly 18 months out and could be involved in a matchday squad this month.
Saturday’s clash with Manchester United may come too soon for Pedro Porro (hamstring), though.
