Tottenham have suffered an injury setback ahead of their trip to Manchester United.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi is facing further injury issues after Jan Paul van Hecke was forced to leave Netherlands training early on Wednesday, subsequently withdrawing from the squad.
The Dutchman has been a mainstay of Spurs’ backline so far this season, having joined in a £52million summer deal from Brighton and Hove Albion, but has been heavily criticised for some of his performances. Indeed, the defender’s underwhelming display in the 3-2 loss to Aston Villa before the international break led to one pundit questioning his price tag. While Jan Paul van Hecke scored one of the goals for Tottenham, defensively he was poor.
The 26-year-old has become the Lilywhites’ latest injury victim of the extended international pause. Footage showed Van Hecke participating in the early stages of the training session on Wednesday ahead of the Netherlands’ UEFA Nations League fixture against Greece, but he lasted only seven minutes and was then seen having a conversation with head coach Xavi Hernandez before taking a seat in the dugout.
Xavi provides worrying injury update on Jan Paul van Hecke
Van Hecke was sent back to North London by the Netherlands chief after he was forced to drop out of training. Xavi’s latest update on the Tottenham defender’s condition is not at all encouraging, with the Netherlands boss revealing that Van Hecke had been stamped on in last week’s win over Serbia.
“During the match against Serbia, someone stepped on him. He didn’t realise it [someone stepping on his toe] during the match, but afterwards it was impossible for him to play,” Xavi told NOS (h/t Voetbal Primeur).
“He really wanted to try, but he was in a lot of pain. That is why we decided to take him off the list. He tried to participate in recovery training yesterday (Tuesday). He tried again today, but he couldn’t touch the ball.”
Van Hecke will miss his nation’s next two games against Greece and Serbia. The 26-year-old’s setback is a big worry for De Zerbi, who has started him in every Premier League game this season. The Dutch star has now returned to Hotspur Way to continue his recovery, and finds himself in a race against time to be passed fit for the trip to Manchester United on October 10.
Tottenham fans will be waiting anxiously to discover whether the injury is going to be enough to keep Van Hecke out for games after the international break, but there’s still plenty of time remaining for him to make a full recovery if it is a knock, albeit a painful one.
Spurs have shown a clear lack of chemistry in the starting XI after several signings this summer. De Zerbi’s side have had a tough start to the league season with two points picked up from five games. The upcoming clash against Man United at Old Trafford is a must-win.
