Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has been told he could face months on the sidelines following the injury he suffered against Chelsea. Michael Owen has given a grim verdict on the star’s fitness concerns just days after he was labelled the “best signing” of the season.
Tottenham signed Van de Ven from Wolfsburg in the summer for a fee that could rise to £43million. The Dutchman has made an immediate impression, forging a successful partnership at the back with Cristian Romero.
But just minutes after losing Romero to a red card on Monday, Van de Ven was also forced off the pitch. He stopped sharply in his tracks when sprinting back in an attempt to catch Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
He immediately clutched his hamstring and had to be helped off the pitch by the Spurs medical staff. Former Liverpool striker Owen suffered his fair share of hamstring injuries and reckons Van de Ven will miss a sizable chunk of action.
Owen said on Premier League Productions: “This is the one I would be really worried about. I felt that many a time in my career. It’s not pretty.
“It’s not a nice feeling. That looks like a serious one. The amount of pain he is in. I think you are looking into the months for that one, sadly.”
The news comes as a big blow to Spurs, who are already set to be without Romero for their next three matches. James Maddison also limped off with an ankle injury at the same time Van de Ven was substituted.
Maddison has been dubbed the signing of the summer by many pundits. But former Tottenham defender William Gallas claimed at the weekend that Van de Ven has in fact made a bigger impact.
Gallas told the Sunday Mirror: “James Maddison is not the best signing of the season – Van de Ven is. We already knew how good Maddison was, and him going to Spurs was the natural progression.
“People aren’t surprised to see him doing so well, and Tottenham’s players have more quality than Leicester’s. Nobody knew Van de Ven prior to his arrival and he’s playing his first Premier League season.
“He had to adapt to a new team and a new league. He doesn’t make mistakes and he plays a very simple, effective game. People are starting to speak about him now and he’s starting to score goals.”
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou admitted it didn’t look good for Van de Ven. He said: “It’s too early but looking at Micky you’re thinking it’s a pretty significant one so you’d assume he’ll be out for a little while.
“Madders got a knock on the ankle and we’ll just have to assess him and see how it is.”
