Ange Postecoglou has revealed the return date for both Mickey Van de Ven and Cristian Romero
Tottenham centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are unlikely to play again in 2024
Ange Postecoglou was coming under increased pressure in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout following a disappointing run of just one win in eight games across all competitions, before the Southampton game on Sunday.
However, the Spurs boss got a much-needed reaction from his players—albeit against a struggling Southampton outfit rock bottom in the table—when they visited the St Mary’s Stadium. A brace from James Maddison, accompanied by goals from Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr.
The performance and result was just what the doctor ordered ahead of the juicy Carabao Cup quarter-final encounter against Manchester United at home on Thursday evening. Addressing the media ahead of the game, Ange Postecoglou gave an update on his first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
“I think both [Van de Ven and Romero] will be in the new year. Not as significant an injury as last time with Micky, a setback but just make sure right to go. Both in the new year at some point,” Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference. (h/t Football London)
Both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returned from their respective injuries against Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month. However, the duo were withdrawn during the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea. Having been surprise inclusions ahead of the match, Postecoglou said afterwards that it had not been a gamble to play them from the start, despite the injuries they then suffered.
Romero lasted less than 15 minutes against Chelsea, with Spurs 2-0 up, before being forced off with a quad injury and replaced by Radu Dragusin. Van de Ven played 79 minutes before going down with a tight hamstring and had to be replaced by Archie Gray.
Now, both the central defenders will remain out of the cup encounter against Man United, and are not expected back until the start of the New Year—meaning they will likely miss the Premier League games against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In their absence, Gray is expected to continue partnering Dragusin at the heart of the Tottenham defence until Ben Davies recovers from his hamstring problem. The Welshman, who was forced off in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, is set to return to action next week in what will be a timely boost for Big Ange’s side.
