Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou issues Micky van de Ven injury update ahead of Aston Villa trip | OneFootball

The defender is not expected to be fit for the FA Cup clash

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou expects both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero to miss Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.

Postecoglou said before the Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool that the club were being cautious with the pair, having lost Radu Dragusin to injury for the rest of the season.

Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, Postecoglou confirmed that neither are ready to return.

Asked if any player would return for the Villa Park clash, the Spurs boss said: “No.

Postecoglou added: "We thought Micky was maybe a chance for the first hour. By the start of next week we’re still hopeful we get one or two back for the Manchester United game, provided we don’t lose anyone else like we did Richy last night.

“I knew this week was a challenging week because we weren’t going to get anyone back. [Richarlison] was emotional last night because he’d worked really hard to get back. It’s another setback. We’re going to have to deal with him and get him back.”

Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup in miserable fashion on Thursday, losing the semi-final second leg 4-0 having held a 1-0 advantage from the first meeting.

Postecoglou pointed to his injury woes in defence of the display, telling reporters: "We had 10 missing last night. If you take seven or eight key players out and you play the best team in the league, I don’t think you take judgements in these moments.

“We’re 48 hours away from a game. I’d have much rather had eight days to prepare like the other teams."