According to a new report on the situation at Tottenham Hotspur, Micky van de Ven is likely to return to the pitch sooner than James Maddison, but both players are being treated carefully to avoid a repeat of their current injuries.
Tottenham’s unbeaten run in the first ten games of the season arguably could not have happened were it not for the performances of Micky van de Ven and James Maddison.
If ever there were proof for this, the fact Spurs failed to win any of the five games in the aftermath of the pair’s injuries says it all.
Van de Ven pulled up with a hamstring issue in the defeat to Chelsea and is expected to be out of action until January. According to Alasdair Gold, the Dutchman is facing at least 12 weeks on the sidelines.
Maddison, meanwhile, picked up an ankle injury and the player himself has admitted the road to recovery could be ‘slow’ on that one (Amazon Prime Video Sport).
Van de Ven could be back before Maddison
Now, the latest update from Football.London suggests van de Ven may be winning the race to return to full fitness, but neither player will be pushed in their recovery.
The report claims van de Ven “is ahead” of Maddison when it comes to returning to Ange Postecoglou‘s starting XI, and has even “begun some outdoor running” at this stage.
However, both players will not have a chance to return to group training—and definitely won’t be rushed into “match action”—if there is any risk of “a reoccurrence of their respective” injuries.
Spurs Web Opinion
I cannot wait for these two players to return to the team. Getting Romero and van de Ven back together in defence will be such a boost, and the creativity of James Maddison is the one thing we’ve been lacking of late. If we can just get through to their return dates relatively unscathed, we could have an incredible end to the season.