During the World Darts Championship telecast on Friday, Tottenham fans recognized a familiar face.
On Friday night, Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven delivered fans some good news. The Spurs player was cheering on fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld in his World Darts Championship match when he indicated that his comeback to competitive activity may be sooner than planned.
Tottenham have been without Van de Ven since he injured his hamstring in early November. Following his summer arrival from Wolfsburg, the 22-year-old swiftly established himself as an important member of Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino left fans disappointed earlier this week when he said Van de Ven and his equally vital teammate James Maddison were ‘nowhere near’ returning to first-team training.
Van de Ven, on the other hand, presented a different picture at a Friday appearance at Alexandra Palace, saying, “It’s going well – only two more weeks [before I’m back in training].”
The Dutchman’s dashing romp included a nine-dart victory over legendary referee Russ Bray. In the evening, Van Barneveld rewarded his backing with a decisive 3-1 victory over Radek Szaganski.
In Van de Ven’s absence, Postecoglou has relied on Ben Davies at center-back in recent weeks. The Tottenham manager could have his first-choice backline available by the time his team travels to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on January 14.
However, Postecoglou’s recent statements suggest that Van de Ven’s return prediction may have been unduly optimistic. “[Maddison and Van de Ven] are both in rehab and are nowhere near training with the first team at the moment,” he stated.
“If you look at the timelines, Micky and Madders both did it in the same game.” Micky might be a little ahead of schedule with Madders. Both types
“It’s not about trying not to give out information; these things either speed up or slow down when you get to the end.” It’s difficult for me to say until I see them out with us.”
Spurs went five games without a victory in the aftermath of Van de Ven’s injury. However, Postecoglou has subsequently righted the ship, with the north Londoners coming into Saturday’s match against Everton off the back of victories against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
