Tottenham Hotspur supervisor Ange Postecoglou says Micky van de Ven is unlikely to play in Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg conflict with Liverpool.

The Dutchman returned to motion in opposition to Elfsborg within the Europa League final Thursday, taking part in the primary half of the sport earlier than a deliberate substitution to assist handle his return from a three-month hamstring harm layoff.

Van de Ven, who missed 22 video games throughout his time on the sidelines, was then a spectator for Spurs’ 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday, main many to imagine that he’d be assured a begin in what’s arguably the membership’s greatest fixture of the season in opposition to Liverpool.

However chatting with reporters in his pre-match press convention, Postecoglou steered that Van de Ven’s phased return will proceed and that would imply one other watching temporary when Spurs rock as much as Anfield on Thursday, defending a 1-0 mixture lead from the primary leg in north London.

“He acquired by way of the sport [against Elfsborg] no downside however the Premier League is an entire completely different beast,” Postecoglou mentioned. “However, after shedding Radu [Dragusin], I sat down and although about what we had forward of us nonetheless…I really feel like we have to be extra conservative.

“Do not get me fallacious, we now have a few large video games this week for certain however we now have additionally afforded ourselves a few weeks with out midweek fixtures. Past that, Europe kicks in, which is very large for us, hopefully we’re in a closing within the Carabao Cup, hopefully we’re nonetheless within the FA Cup. I simply do not see the sense proper now in risking that.

“Having Kevin [Danso] in is an enormous bonus for us. He hasn’t reinjured the harm or something like that. I simply really feel we have to get extra into him, I believe he feels he must get extra into him, similar with Romero, so it is going to simply be a wait and see method.”

Postecoglou should now resolve whether or not handy new signing Danso his first Tottenham begin, or proceed with the makeshift partnership of Archie Grey and Ben Davies – the previous naturally a midfielder who has crammed a myriad of roles for Spurs throughout an unprecedented harm disaster.

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