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Story summary
Micky van de Ven, the captain of Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands national team, was forced off the pitch late in Sunday night's 2-1 Nations League Group A2 match against Serbia due to an injury sustained when his left hand was stepped on by Serbian striker Luka Jovic. Van de Ven initially had two fingers strapped up but had to leave the game later. This development raised concerns as Tottenham is already without right-back Pedro Porro and Jan Paul van Hecke due to injuries, potentially leaving head coach Roberto De Zerbi with a significant back-four crisis ahead of Saturday's Premier League match against Manchester United. However, an update from Netherlands boss Xavi revealed that Van de Ven feels fine, attributing his departure to dizziness caused by the finger injury rather than a serious setback.
Written for “Tottenham Soccer Team News” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
The Spurs captain left the pitch late on during Sunday night’s 2-1 Nations League Group A2 win over Serbia in Belgrade, having had his left hand accidentally stepped on in painful fashion by Serbian striker Luka Jovic.
asserted
hand → leave → Jovic
Van de Ven initially had two of his fingers strapped up and continued in the game before later departing, leaving the Netherlands to finish the match with 10 men after they had already used all of their allotted substitutions.
asserted
they → have → substitutions
It was a worrying sight for Tottenham ahead of Saturday’s Premier League return against fellow strugglers Manchester United at Old Trafford, with head coach Roberto De Zerbi desperately seeking a first top-flight win of the season to lift his side off the foot of the table.
asserted
Zerbi → seek → table
Spurs are already without right-back Pedro Porro due to a hamstring injury that saw him withdraw from the Spain squad at the start of the extended three-week international window, while Jan Paul van Hecke left the Dutch camp early last week due to a foot issue sustained in their first match against Serbia.
asserted
Hecke → see → Serbia
However, fears over a serious setback for Van de Ven that would have left De Zerbi without three members of his first-choice back four against United and dealing with a centre-back crisis have now been allayed after a new update from Netherlands boss Xavi.
“He’s ok, he felt dizzy because he suffered with his finger.
asserted
he → leave → finger
It’s not a big injury,” the Spaniard said of Van de Ven in his press conference after the win over Serbia.
asserted
Spaniard → ’ → Serbia
Van de Ven would have been returning to Tottenham now anyway, with the Netherlands having played all four of their Nations League fixtures during this window.
asserted
Netherlands → return → window
He will be further assessed by Spurs’ medical staff, who will offer any further treatment if required.
asserted
who → assess → treatment
Tottenham also remain without Chelsea loanee Mykhailo Mudryk at present due to an ankle injury suffered last month, while long-term absentees Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are still recovering from ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments sustained last season.
asserted
absentees → remain → ligaments
Dejan Kulusevski has not played for the club since May 2025 due to a serious kneecap injury, but has been back in first-team training of late as he builds towards a long-awaited return.
uncertain
he → play → return
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