Football News

Ange Postecoglou's plans for Tottenham's North London Derby showdown against Arsenal on Sunday have been hit by Destiny Udogie's season-ending injury. An integral part of the Australian's side, the left-back stated late on Saturday evening that he would not feature again this term as he posted an update on his Instagram account.

Confirmation from Tottenham duly arrived the following morning. A statement from the club read: «We can confirm that Destiny Udogie has undergone surgery to his left quadriceps, having sustained an injury in training earlier this week. The defender will continue his rehabilitation with our medical staff and is expected to rejoin the squad during pre-season.»

Udogie's injury at a time when Tottenham are fighting it out with Aston Villa for a Champions League spot comes as a huge blow for Postecoglou and the team. Ben Davies will be the favourite to fill in for the Italian in the final six games, with Emerson Royal also an alternative at left-back having played in the role on a handful of occasions across the season so far.

One wildcard option available to Postecoglou is to move Micky van de Ven from his centre-back berth across to left-back. The Dutchman has excelled since his transfer to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Wolfsburg and he has made a real statement in his first season in the Premier League.

Not only an excellent defender, the 23-year-old is also extremely impressive with the ball at his feet and he is blessed with pace. The Wormer-born player has all the attributes Postecoglou requires in his left-back, which is in fact a position he has played in previously in recent seasons.

Van de Ven has played 15 times as a left-back before, including in FC Voldendam's first team and youth team, for

Ange Postecoglou Micky Van-De-Ven Emerson Royal Destiny Udogie Radu Dragusin