The Spurs boss has fresh injury concerns following the international break (Picture: Getty)
Tottenham’s injury crisis has grown even deeper after Ange Postecoglou revealed fresh concerns ahead of their fixture against Aston Villa.
Spurs made a superb start to life under their new manager but were rocked by a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea which saw them lose influential duo James Maddison and Micky van der Ven to injury.
Christian Romero was also sent off in the fixture against the Blues and remains suspended for this weekend’s encounter, while Yves Bissouma will also be unavailable after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in their 2-1 loss against Wolves prior to the international break.
But there was more bad news for Tottenham as Postecoglou revealed that both Pape Sarr and Ashley Phillips had picked up injuries whilst away on international duty.
‘We’ve got a couple of issues. Young Ashley Phillips picked up an ankle injury so he will be out for a little while. It’s disappointing for him,’ the 58-year-old said.
‘We’ll have a look at Pape Sarr because he’s got a bit of an issue as well. We’ll see how he is over the next 24-48 hours.’
The Australian said there was no meaningful update on Van der Ven and Maddison as they continue their rehabilitation but did offer some good news in the form of left-back Destiny Udogie who withdrew from the Italy squad due to a muscle injury.
Udogie has enjoyed a bright start to his first season in the Premier League (Picture: Getty)
‘Destiny [Udogie]’s fine and is available. He’s had a good couple of weeks,’ Postecoglou revealed.
Spurs welcome Unai Emery’s Villa to north London on Sunday, with just one point separating the two sides following Tottenham’s consecutive defeats.
Injuries and suspensions to key players led many to question whether Postecoglou would temper his gung-ho style, but the Spurs boss was unwavering in his commitment to his attacking principles.
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‘Obviously, the last two results haven’t been great. I guess my point is, we’re at the beginning of trying to build something,’ he explained.
‘At the early stages, you’ve got to stay focused on that and the kind of football we want to play and what we want to be. We can’t let our short-term results – good or bad – influence how we’re going.
‘People will always question and scrutinise my approach, or our approach. I understand that. It’s not about me trying to convince people, it’s more about making sure internally, the players and staff, are staying on course.’
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