Confirmed: Postecoglou says 23y/o Spurs star will definitely miss Carabao Cup clash v Man Utd | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur will look to progress to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup when they face Manchester United on Thursday night at home.

After five games without a win and pressure mounting on Ange Postecoglou, Spurs returned to winning ways with a 5-0 win over rock-bottom Southampton in the previous game last Sunday.

Tottenham will look to maintain that form, and Postecoglou believes if they keep playing positive football, the opposition will find them hard to stop.

Ahead of the match, the Spurs boss confirmed to reporters that centre-back Micky van de Ven has returned to training but will not be able to make the squad.

The Dutch defender picked up an injury alongside Cristian Romero in the 4-3 loss against Chelsea and hasn’t played since.

The 23-year-old could return to the starting line-up next week, along with Ben Davies, who is currently out injured as well.

Destiny Udogie is also doubtful for this game, but Postecoglou says he hasn’t ruled the full-back out yet.

Postecoglou said: “Mikey is back in training. The next cabs off the rank are Mikey and Ben Davies potentially next week and Richarlison potentially first week of the new year.”

Injury update: Massive boost for Tottenham Hotspur

While Romero is a long-term absentee, it seems Van de Ven’s injury was not that serious.

He will still miss a few games, but Spurs will at least get him back during the busy festive period or at the beginning of next month.

Van de Ven is a key player for Spurs, but most importantly, Postecoglou will have more options at the back when he returns.

At the moment, Radu Dragusin remains Tottenham’s only recognised centre-back, and versatile Archie Gray has been asked to play alongside him in central defence.

With Davies returning as well within the next few weeks, Postecoglou will have more options to choose from.

Spurs could still look to sign a new centre-back in January and have reportedly earmarked Paris Saint-Germain defender Milan Skriniar as a potential option.

Read More: Alan Shearer blown away by ‘unplayable’ Tottenham player v Southampton.