Ange Postecoglou hints at surprise Micky van de Ven fitness decision | OneFootball

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

The Dutchman returned to action against Elfsborg in the Europa League last Thursday, playing the first half of the game before a planned substitution to help manage his return from a three-month hamstring injury layoff.

Van de Ven, who missed 22 games during his time on the sidelines, was then a spectator for Spurs' 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday, leading many to assume that he'd be guaranteed a start in what is arguably the club's biggest fixture of the season against Liverpool.

But speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou suggested that Van de Ven's phased return will continue and that could mean another watching brief when Spurs rock up to Anfield on Thursday, defending a 1-0 aggregate lead from the first leg in north London.

"He got through the game [against Elfsborg] no problem but the Premier League is a whole different beast," Postecoglou said. "But, after losing Radu [Dragusin], I sat down and though about what we had ahead of us still...I feel like we've got to be more conservative.

Van de Ven is going through a phased return from injury / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

"Don't get me wrong, we have a couple of massive games this week for sure but we have also afforded ourselves a couple of weeks without midweek fixtures. Beyond that, Europe kicks in, which is massive for us, hopefully we're in a final in the Carabao Cup, hopefully we're still in the FA Cup. I just don't see the sense right now in risking that.

"Having Kevin [Danso] in is a massive bonus for us. He hasn't reinjured the injury or anything like that. I just feel we need to get more into him, I think he feels he needs to get more into him, same with Romero, so it will just be a wait and see approach."

Postecoglou must now decide whether to hand new signing Danso his first Tottenham start, or continue with the makeshift partnership of Archie Gray and Ben Davies - the former naturally a midfielder who has filled a myriad of roles for Spurs during an unprecedented injury crisis.