Tottenham Hotspur certainly didn’t head into the international break in the manner that they would have hoped. But there is good news- they should be a pretty fit squad when they come out on the other side of it. Both Micky van de Ven and Manor Solomon should be back for the Sat. March 30 matchup versus Luton Town.
That comprises half of the team’s injured, with the other half being composed of Fraser Forster and Ryan Sessegnon.
Having a nearly fully fit squad will be hugely advantageous, and taking on a lower table side like Luton should give them a great chance of getting a W, and thus shaking off that ugly L this past Saturday.
Team Captain Heung-Min Son said all the right things in calling out his side for their pathetic showing in the London derby loss to Fulham.
Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the squad fitness situation, starting with the league’s fastest player, Van de Ven.
“It’s nowhere near as severe as the last one,” Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu said of the central defender’s thigh injury on the Ides of March.
“He probably came off at the right time – he’ll miss tomorrow – but with the break, we’re pretty confident he won’t miss too much more.”
Shifting gears to Solomon, in looking at the projected timeline of his knee injury recovery and return, he should be in contention in a couple weeks.
Of course, he may just be eased back into it, so don’t expect him to go the full 90, or anything like that, right away. Elsewhere Fraser Forster is out until the end of next month with a fractured foot while Ryan Sessegnon is done for the season with a thigh injury.
Sessegnon might not be too long for being at the club either.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.