Thomas Frank has revealed that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will both be available for Tottenham’s trip to Manchester United this weekend, while Djed Spence is also closing in on a return.
Romero had to come off at half-time in last Sunday’s 2-2 home draw against Manchester City as he felt unwell, and Frank admitted that the Spurs captain had also played through illness against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Fellow first-choice centre-back Van de Ven, meanwhile, has missed Tottenham’s last two games with an unspecified minor injury, but Frank had good news on the pair’s availability ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime trip to Old Trafford, while right-back Spence also has a “good chance” to play after a small calf issue that saw him ruled out against City.
“So Micky is good, [he] trained today,” the Spurs boss told reporters on Thursday. “He is available for selection for Saturday.
“So it's good. Djed Spence is getting closer. It will be a little bit touch and go, but there is a good chance that he will be ready."
The return of Van de Ven and Romero will be a huge relief for Frank, who had Radu Dragusin as his only fit senior centre-back in the second half against City.
There was no new update on Dominic Solanke, who started and scored twice as Spurs came from two goals down to draw at the Etihad Stadium, but was substituted late on after rolling his ankle.
The England striker, who missed 27 games at the start of the season with a recurring ankle injury, allayed fears that he had suffered an injury after the game.
“I’ll be good,” Solanke told Sky Sports. “I just rolled my ankle a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”
Spurs are currently 14th in the Premier League table and in the midst of an injury crisis as they prepare to take on resurgent United, who have won three games in a row under the interim management of Michael Carrick - against Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham.
Pedro Porro, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Ben Davies and Kevin Danso all remain sidelined for Tottenham.
