Football.London

Jamie Donley proved to be the hero once again for Leyton Orient as he dealt Wrexham a blow in their promotion bid on Tuesday evening. Excelling for the east London club since making the move across the capital, the Tottenham youngster netted his sixth goal of the campaign with another fabulous strike for Richie Wellens' team.

Initially trailing 1-0 following Oliver Rathbone's goal before Charlie Kelman restored parity on 30 minutes, Donley grabbed the winner five minutes after the restart. Taking up a position 18 yards out on a Leyton Orient corner, Jay Rodriguez's headed clearance fell perfectly to him just inside the box and he did the rest with a fizzing volley.

It was incredible technique from the 20-year-old as he guided it through a number of bodies to find the bottom corner of Mark Howard's goal. It was that good the goalkeeper didn't even move.

A goal that extended Orient's excellent record and also strengthened their play-off push as they are now three points clear of Charlton Athletic in seventh, it was also a goal that stopped Wrexham from closing to within two points of Wycombe Wanderers in the final automatic promotion berth. As he has done countless times already this season, Wellens hailed Donley's technique for his sixth goal of a wonderful campaign.

"The second [goal] is a sensational strike as well," he said in his post-match interview. "It's a difficult technique and a lot of players try and slash at that, it goes over the bar or they'll shank it into the ground.

"Technically he's a superb footballer and that's a couple of real special strikes in the last few weeks and long may it continue."

Donley and fellow Tottenham loanee Josh Keeley will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they take on fellow play-off contenders Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. Orient are then on the road three days later when they travel to St Andrew's to face League One leaders Birmingham City.

The game in the second city will see a Tottenham reunion take place as Birmingham are now managed by Chris Davies, who was Ange Postecoglou's senior assistant coach at Spurs last campaign. Amid previous interest from Swansea City in making the highly-rated coach their manager, Davies departed Tottenham in June to take up the role at Birmingham.

He has already made a huge impression with his new club, who have an 11-point cushion over Wrexham in the race for an automatic promotion spot. Not only that, Birmingham secured a place in the Vertu Trophy final on Tuesday evening and they also gave Premier League side Newcastle United a real scare in the FA Cup at the beginning of the month.

After a really torrid time at St Andrew's in recent years, Birmingham appear to be back on the up with Davies playing a major role in their rise. The 39-year-old knows all about the quality Donley possesses and he will be determined to nullify the Spurs youngster and stop him from delivering another promotion blow after doing so at Wrexham.

Teams are finding it very hard to stop Donley from influencing proceedings, though, in what has been a very successful loan spell for all parties concerned. Shining at Wrexham on Tuesday, Donley will be determined to do it against the best in League One after hopefully doing the same at Bolton this weekend.

Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison's triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

Mathys Tel just couldn't mark his first appearance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a goal. Given the nod through the middle after starting from the left the previous week at Aston Villa, the Frenchman had a total of seven shots against Manchester United but was unable to find a way past Andre Onana.

Working extremely hard for the Spurs team and causing issues for their opponents, Tel was unlucky not to get the goal his performance deserved in the 1-0 win over the Red Devils. The 19-year-old will be intent on returning to the scoresheet at Ipswich Town this weekend and the Tractor Boys may have to be careful if he's presented with a similar number of chances one week on.

What is going to help the January addition going forward is that Ange Postecoglou's side have been given an attacking boost over the past week. Going so long with having to use the same players in attack due to the amount of injuries that have hit the team hard over the course of the campaign, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert returned to the pitch on Sunday following their respective injury layoffs.

The numbers should be boosted very soon with Timo Werner still to return and Postecoglou mentioning last Friday that it will be "the next two or three weeks" when Dominic Solanke and Richarlison are in a position to play. As the head coach now has the opportunity to rotate, Odobert will have the chance to add to the six appearances he has made for the club since making the move from Burnley in August.

The Frenchman was only on the field for a matter of minutes on Sunday but he was extremely lively in his pitch time and looked keen to make up for lost time. Odobert himself may have only been a Tottenham player for six months but he will have played a key role in helping Tel settle into his new surroundings after leaving Bavaria.

After all, the duo know each other from France Under-21 duty and are in fact good friends. Speaking to SPURSPLAY following his move to the club, Tel opened up on Odobert's words to him prior to his Tottenham transfer.

He said: "Yes I talked with Wilson. He told me: ‘Come, you have to come here’. He's my friend, I played with him for the French team, we're good friends and he told me to come because it's a great team and you will see it's very nice."

Already appearing to have a good relationship away from the pitch, that should only help matters on the pitch when both are in the side together. That could once again be the case on Saturday at Ipswich Town as Odobert is likely to get a decent chunk of action under his belt as Postecoglou revealed last week that he wants those returning to have played "significant minutes" prior to next Wednesday's match against Manchester City.

The ex-Burnley man does give the Australian choice in the final third as he is capable of playing on either flank, with the 20-year-old seeing out Sunday's win over Manchester United from the left. Whether he is operating from the right or the left, Odobert has the quality to supply his fellow countryman and help increase Tel's Tottenham tally.

That will be music to the forward's ears and the hope will be that they can form an exciting partnership in attack that can help shoot Spurs up the league and possibly to Europa League glory. Spurs fans have seen very little of Odobert in action so far but his cameo appearance against Manchester United could just be the start of things to come, which in turn will only be good news for his fellow Frenchman over the coming weeks and months.

Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison's triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

The investment organisation that had been heavily linked with a deal for Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly threatened to divest from French football over a legal case.

Qatar Sports Investments, the Qatari government operated organisation that owns French giants Paris Saint-Germain, has seen its chief, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, become the focus of an investigation in France over allegations of corporate vote buying and abuse of power offences.

Al-Khelaifi was charged earlier this month, with the case relating to a boardroom struggle at the media firm Lagardere Group, with the focus on allegations of an attempt to influence a vote at the company, in which QSI is the biggest shareholder.

The investigation has sparked a row, with QSI now reportedly ready to consider their investment in PSG, a club that they have majority owned since 2011 but where they have been diluting their interest over the past couple of years, selling real estate and handing over a 12.5% stake in the club to American investment firm Arctos Sports Partners.

RMC Sport quoted an anonymous source close to QSI as saying: “The Qataris have had enough of these abuses.

“'False legal proceedings, blackmail, daily criticism, being blamed for the total incompetence of others—every problem in France is their fault.

“Every time they try to help, it’s supposedly for ‘soft power’. This is pure abuse, and everyone has had enough."

Al-Khelaifi, who serves as chairman of the European Clubs Association as well as the broadcaster BeIN Sports, has previously been linked with an interest in taking a minority stake at Spurs after reportedly holding talks with club chairman Daniel Levy in 2023, something denied at the time.

Levy and Al-Khelaifi are said to have a close relationship and alignment, and with Levy and ENIC the focus of much ire from Spurs fans who made their feelings known both prior and during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, angry at the running of the club, QSI’s potential divestment from France in the not too distant future could raise some eyebrows.

Last week, as first reported by the Guardian, a Qatari consortium were linked with a potential takeover play for Spurs, one where it was suggested that Levy could remain in situ as chairman in the event of any deal. The report claimed that the interested Qatari party were not linked to the QSI.

QSI have spent big in pursuit of success at PSG over the past 14 years, breaking the transfer world record twice to bring in Neymar Jnr for £200million in 2017 and Kylian Mbappe for £160million a year later, not to mention adding Lionel Messi to the ranks for a period to create the most potent star-studded strike force ever assembled in European football. It still did not yield what was yearned for, which was a UEFA Champions League title.

The approach has changed in recent seasons, with PSG less inclined to spend big money, with the perilous state of France’s diminishing media rights not helping matters. The transfer strategy has changed at a time when QSI are reducing the level of their stake in the club.

QSI will want to have a foothold in European football at the top level, and the issues around stadium ownership at PSG, with the City Council owning the Parc des Princes and QSI having been frustrated in attempts to address that as well as with plans to build a new stadium in the French capital, have only added to the frustration.

Spurs, of course, don’t have such issues and the stadium is an enormous boon, so too is the fact that the club has multiple revenue streams that their rivals cannot lean on, with a balance sheet that allows them to spend on bridging the gap to competitive success, and based in one of the world’s most popular, and populous, cities.

Having influence in the Premier League would be significant for the QSI and for Al-Khelaifi, as it would for the Qatari state, although it is often stressed that the QSI and the government operate independently of each other.

There are few who can give Levy a run for his money when it comes to negotiation, but Al-Khelaifi is one of those, and the direction of travel for QSI should be watched closely with regard to how it might impact Spurs and their ownership status moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur will keep a close eye on this week's Europa League play-off action as they are set to find out who their round-of-16 opponents are.

Ange Postecoglou's side qualified automatically to the next round after finishing fourth in the standings on 17 points. They won five of their eight games and finished just two points off leaders Lazio.

Besides Spurs, Manchester United and Rangers also finished within the top eight and also qualified automatically. Those teams that finished between ninth and 24th, had to compete in a two-legged play-off this month.

Once the ties are completed on Thursday, the draw will be held by Uefa on Friday.

Here, football.london has taken a look at when the Europa League draw will take place and how you can follow it.

When is the Europa League draw?

The round-of-16 draw will take place straight after the Champions League draw at 12pm on Friday, February 21. It will be held at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

Will it be live on TV?

Yes, the draw will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports and on the discovery+ app. You can also stream it live on TNT Sports' YouTube channel but if you're outside of the UK, you can stream it via the Uefa website.

Which clubs are in the draw?

Tottenham, Lazio, Athletic Club, Manchester United, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon, Olympiacos and Rangers all qualified automatically by finishing in the top eight.

However, eight ties are still to be completed this week.

Ferencvaros vs Viktoria Plzen (1-0)

FC Porto vs Roma (1-1)

AZ Alkmaar vs Galatasaray (4-1)

Midtjylland vs Real Sociedad (1-2)

Union SG vs Ajax (0-2)

PAOK vs FCSB (1-2)

Twente vs Bodo/Glimt (2-1)

Fenerbahce vs Anderlecht (3-0)

Who can Tottenham face in the next round?

Postecoglou's side will face either Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or Midtjylland.

When will the round-of-16 games take place?

The round-of-16 ties will be played next month.

First leg: March 6

Second leg: March 13

Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison's triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

Josh Keeley is having a season to remember as the 21-year-old Tottenham goalkeeper shows everyone just how talented he is, but that might still not be enough to get him a game at his own club.

The Republic of Ireland U21 international has made headlines galore this season while out on loan at Leyton Orient in League One, drawing praise from some of the top names in the game. One glance at his meteoric rise since Richie Wellens belatedly made the decision to hand him league starts from mid-October shows you the quality of Keeley.

The young Tottenham goalkeeper has racked up 13 clean sheets in just 20 League One matches, which is a percentage that stacks up right near the top among the stoppers across the leagues in England. He is a terrific shot stopper, strong in the air and good with his feet.

Keeley, who is playing with his Spurs team-mate Jamie Donley at Orient, has really caught the eye in the FA Cup. He lit up the competition in the second round with a stunning headed equaliser to break Oldham hearts in the 99th minute to take the game to extra-time and a 2–1 win.

In the next round he was a penalty shootout hero against Derby, to set up a big clash with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the fourth round this month.

While Donley would steal the limelight on the day with his 50-yard shot that hit the crossbar then Stefan Ortega to bounce over the line, Keeley was also in top form with a string of saves from the expensively-assembled City stars as the Premier League champions squeezed out a 2-1 win on the day.

"We were lucky at the end because they had chances, but we created a lot, their keeper was really, really good and it was a tight game," said Guardiola of the Spurs stopper.

Orient boss Wellens added: "Josh was class and he’s been brilliant. I think 75 per cent of his performances have been clean-sheets. He’s got good character for a young kid and he’ll only go on and develop potentially into a top-level Premier League goalkeeper if he keeps his feet on the ground."

So how come such a talented goalkeeper is going to struggle to find his place at Tottenham? The problem lies with the competition at the club, his lack of homegrown status and what happened in the January transfer window.

Spurs and Ange Postecoglou currently have a clear number one in Guglielmo Vicario and they added to their goalkeeping quality with the signing of Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in January and the 21-year-old has already impressed in big games during Vicario's absence with a fractured foot.

During that period and before Kinsky's arrival, Brandon Austin also got his chance finally in the Premier League and the 26-year-old goalkeeper took it. He impressed against Newcastle and then got back-to-back Europa League starts against Hoffenheim and Elfsborg.

What makes Austin even more important is that he is one of Spurs' few club-trained homegrown players for European football, along with fellow stopper Alfie Whiteman.

Both Whiteman and Fraser Forster are coming to the end of their contracts and are likely to depart the club this summer with the trio of Vicario, Kinsky and Austin now set for the future on long-term contracts, with Keeley and young goalkeeper Luca Gunter, currently on loan at National League Wealdstone very talented understudies.

The problem for Keeley is that while he needs to be more than an understudy, he will never count as club-trained for Tottenham in European competition, having arrived from Irish side St Pat's as a 19-year-old. That makes it more difficult to keep him around to get game time next season and thus makes it harder to break into that trinity for the foreseeable future between the sticks.

There was talk of a permanent move for Keeley last summer, with plenty of clubs interested, but now after this season to remember that could change unless a major offer comes in.

With a contract until 2027, Spurs are likely to look to improve the Irishman's deal and extend it, knowing that either they can get more money for him in the future as he continues to impress or he potentially could still make his mark at Spurs if something unexpected happens to the current options.

He needs to play rather than sit and wait for a chance. Following loans at Barnet and now Orient, the aim would be to get Keeley higher up the pyramid next season with the Championship an expected next destination. That might just be with Orient if they continue their form with Keeley and Donley proving to be integral figures in their charge up the table.

For now Keeley will just keep on doing what he's doing. That's all he can focus on. The future will resolve itself around the talented goalkeeper.

Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison's triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

Tottenham make the trip to Ipswich on Saturday afternoon hoping to make it three Premier League wins in a row and Ange Postecoglou finally has some selection decisions to make.

Spurs' FA Cup and Carabao Cup exits have been sandwiched by Premier League victories against Brentford and Manchester United and next up is an afternoon at Portman Road. Kieran McKenna's side sit 18th in the table with just three wins to their name but have given teams problems at times, including a draw last time out at Aston Villa and they beat Tottenham on their own turf earlier in the season.

Postecoglou had five players back in action following injury against United and with other returning stars on the horizon the Australian has some selection decisions to make ahead of the game against the Tractor Boys, which is followed up quickly by the visit of champions Manchester City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night.

Here are five decisions that Postecoglou has to make with both of those fixtures in mind:

The Djed Spence call

Djed Spence is the toast of Tottenham right now. The 24-year-old has been superb in the left-back role, winning back-to-back man of the match awards in the Premier League and there has already been talk of whether he might start catching the eye of England boss Thomas Tuchel.

Postecoglou will have to decide the best way of getting the maximum out of the full-back across these two matches. That could involve playing him in both games if the Australian feels that Spence can handle both.

The alternative is deciding that the full-back has played a lot of football - he's started every Premier League game when fit - after a long period of not playing many matches or even starting a game for Spurs. His body might be fresher for that with the absence of Europa League matches as well or it might suddenly have been loaded up with game time that it wasn't prepared for.

Postecoglou might decide that it's a good opportunity to bring Destiny Udogie back in with Pedro Porro on the other flank and hand Spence a recharge to allow him to go at full throttle against City in midweek.

Seeing Spence on the bench would likely cause uproar among the fanbase following his consistently excellent displays but Postecoglou will have to manage his gradually growing squad at some point.

Pedro Porro rest

There's another option and that's to hand Pedro Porro a much-needed rest as the Spaniard has played more minutes than anyone else in the Tottenham squad this season with 3,040 of them to his name across all competitions.

That would mean Spence potentially playing in his more natural right-back role with Udogie on the left of the defence for the clash against Ipswich.

The other alternative for Postecoglou is to rest both Porro and Spence to keep them fresh for the City game and bring Archie Gray in at right-back with Udogie on the left-hand side in order to have two energised sets of full-backs for each game, a rarity in the world of Tottenham Hotspur in recent months.

Archie Gray in midfield

Everyone's waiting to see Archie Gray get his chance in the midfield. The 18-year-old has put in remarkable shifts as a makeshift centre-back over recent months, showing maturity far beyond his years to help out Tottenham in what people might forget is his first season in the Premier League.

The teenager has played at centre-back, right-back and left-back this season but hasn't really had the opportunity to show just how good he is in the centre of the pitch, having starred there as a 17-year-old for Leeds last season at times in the Championship and against the likes of Chelsea in the FA Cup.

With Postecoglou's other midfield battlers putting in inconsistent displays, Gray has more than earned the chance to lay his claim to start in his favoured role.

Midfield creativity

The opportunities for Postecoglou to utilise some playmakers in deeper roles to bolster the creativity against sides that sit back have not exactly been there in recent weeks with a lack of players in the midfield but also in the attack, which has led to Dejan Kulusevski having to revert to being a right winger.

Now Postecoglou has James Maddison back in action as well as attacking bodies returning to the wings, which will give him the opportunity to use a pairing of both Maddison and Kulusevski either side of a more defensively-minded midfielder if he wants on Saturday or he could decide to use one or the other and rest the other for the game against City.

Kulusevski has played 2,940 minutes this season across all competitions and with Porro, the duo have played far more than anyone else so a prolonged rest might not be the worst thing.

Attacking decisions

It might be too soon for Wilson Odobert to start matches as Spurs are going to take it cautiously with the 20-year-old after his long time out and hamstring surgery. However, Brennan Johnson, with another week of training under his belt, could come into contention to start against Ipswich.

The Wales international's return could free up Kulusevski to go back into a deeper role or it could simply allow the Swede to have a rest of sorts.

There's also 17-year-old Mikey Moore, while Timo Werner is closing in on his return to the team as well, so for once Postecoglou has some other options alongside Kulusevski, Mathys Tel and Son Heung-min at his disposal.

Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison's triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday with a 1-0 victory against Manchester United in the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou's men climbed up to 12th spot in the table with the three points, making it back-to-back victories in the Premier League around those disappointing FA Cup and Carabao Cup exits for Spurs. The defeat for United left Ruben Amorim's men down in 15th place in the table.

Here are five things from inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that took place before, during and after the big game that you might have missed on Sunday evening.

Son's Bergvall pep talk

In the tunnel before the match, the Tottenham captain Son Heung-min could be seen giving 19-year-old midfielder Lucas Bergvall a passionate pep talk.

The skipper gave the teenager a prolonged hug before holding his hand up in the air to signify something the young Swede must reach, whether it's his level of performance or simply winning balls in the air. Either way Bergvall nodded away and Son patted him repeatedly on the chest in an emphatic way to make sure the point was drilled home.

It certainly seemed to do the trick because Bergvall was one of Spurs' better players on the day with his calmness and positive play. Son then went over to Rodrigo Bentancur and hugged the Uruguayan but without the need for the pep talk for the experienced midfielder.

Archie Gray's skills

There's a video doing the rounds on social media of Archie Gray before kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 18-year-old was in the rare position of being a substitute so had a separate warm-up from the starting players.

Gray and Brennan Johnson could be seen knocking a ball between each other on the pitch ahead of the game. At one point, Gray does some impressive keepy uppy skills before flicking the ball up on to his head and balancing it there, including walking along with it sitting right on the top of his head rather than on his forehead.

The youngster then lets the ball bounce behind him and backheel volleys it to Johnson before taking the return pass with a perfect cushioned shoulder to the ball. Tottenham certainly have a remarkable talent in the £40million man from Leeds and we've not even seen him in his natural position yet.

Tel firing up the crowd

As Son pulled away James Maddison to celebrate following his little Roy Keane riposte to the camera after his early goal, Mathys Tel turned to the north stand.

The 19-year-old Bayern Munich man is certainly not lacking in confidence and the Frenchman whipped his arms up and down towards the supporters and orchestrated the crowd to get even louder inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following what would end up being the match-winning goal.

Davies' instruction to Son

After the half-time break, Ben Davies is one of first ones out of the Tottenham changing room and he stays there waiting for Son to emerge.

When he does, the Welshman tells his close friend - the South Korean is the godfather to his child - six simple words. He says "come on you, lead us out" before patting the skipper on the chest and following Son as the other players then begin to file out and congregate behind them in the tunnel.

The messages from Davies, Son and Vicario to the team as they walk out is similar, with the goalkeeper shouting 'come on boys, again, again, again' before they emerge for the second half.

Romero and the injured players

As the players walk off the pitch following the final whistle, they give high fives to the various coaches including Matt Wells and Nick Montgomery but there are also the injured players waiting for them.

Dominic Solanke, Radu Dragusin on crutches, Timo Werner and Micky van de Ven can be seen in the edge of the tunnel congratulating them all as they leave the grass. The matchwinner Maddison and Solanke share a big hug when the midfielder spots the striker and then all of the remaining players show their affection for the injured quartet and particular Dragusin following his successful cruciate ligament surgery.

Cristian Romero and Richarlison could not be seen at that point but there is video footage that shows them both sat together in the dugout and the Argentine in particular jumping up to celebrate Maddison's goal with a punch in the air before banging the advertising hoarding.

Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison's triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!

Ange Postecoglou is counting down the days until he has his first-choice centre-back pairing back available to him. The Tottenham boss has had to deal without his key duo for long periods this season and it has hit Spurs hard.

With the club 12th in the Premier League, a number of injured players are coming back into the fold, with Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison returning to the starting lineup in Sunday's win over Manchester United.

Micky van de Ven is the one the majority of Spurs fans want to see return most, with the quick centre-back integral to the way Postecoglou wants to play with his high defensive line.

And the Dutchman is not far away now, having teased everyone with a 45-minute return against Elfsborg in the Europa League at the end of January, only to not be seen since.

Speaking last week, the Spurs head coach said: "Micky, Cuti (Cristian Romero) and Dom [Solanke], again, we’re looking at the next two or three weeks for them. They’re going well.

"With Micky we made a decision, and I was certainly the catalyst of that, to just have a look at exactly beyond the injury how we can get him back in a good spot. He is doing some different things and working with some different people it’s not as much about the injury as about the mechanics of him because we want him back and we want him back in a real good space."

The back end of three weeks would see Van de Ven, Romero and Solanke all return on the weekend of March 8, with Tottenham taking on Bournemouth on Sunday, March 9. That will be Spurs' last game for two weeks, with the first international break of 2025 coming in after that.

And that's where Postecoglou could be handed a big problem. Should Van de Ven return to the starting lineup before the international break, he could be in line for a call-up to the Netherlands national team - the same could be said of Romero and Solanke.

Postecoglou and the entire Tottenham fanbase would prefer to see Van de Ven rested thoroughly and not go out on international duty, but that may not be the case and could hand Spurs a real problem.

Mathys Tel has sent a clear Tottenham message after the huge 1-0 Premier League win against Manchester United on Sunday. After arriving on loan from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window, Tel has started Spurs' last two games after making his debut off the bench against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

He then played the full 90 minutes and scored in the FA Cup defeat away at Aston Villa before his Premier League bow arrived against United. Despite having seven shots at goal, three of which were on target, the Frenchman was unable to double his tally for goals.

James Maddison, who has missed the last few weeks with injury, scored the decisive goal which made it back-to-back league wins while also keeping a clean sheet for Spurs. "I think the important thing is that we did win today," Ange Postecoglou admitted in his press conference after the match.

"It was an important game for us and an important week. We needed to put in a performance today to get us the result and I think we did that. That coupled with the fact that we've got some significant players back and they got through the game.

"They got through unscathed and really contributed, it was important for us. It signals a little bit of an opportunity for us to push on from here." As Postecoglou mentions, it wasn't just Maddison that returned, with Guglielmo Vicario back in goal, Brennan Johnson coming off the bench and Destiny Udogie in the matchday squad.

Despite Postecoglou being able to use his bench, Tel played the full game and his work rate could not be questioned, as evidenced by his message on Instagram. On top of one photo that showed him exhausted on the floor and another of a team huddle, he wrote: "Give everything until the end, that's us [triumphant face emoji]."

The injury crisis at Tottenham Hotspur is finally starting to ease. Head coach Ange Postecoglou is seeing light at the end of the tunnel and it's no longer another approaching train, as he joked during a press conference recently.

Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison returned to the starting XI in Sunday's win over Manchester United, while Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert both managed minutes off the bench in the same game. Destiny Udogie was an unused substitute, showing Spurs have options now that they have been lacking in recent weeks and months.

Still on the injured list are key players Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, though, while Radu Dragusin will miss the rest of the season.

Van de Ven is the one most fans would like to see return sooner rather than later, so what is the situation with the centre-back, having returned for a 45-minute spell against Elfsborg at the end of January, only to not be seen since. football.london takes a look at his injury situation.

What is the injury?

As with most of the Spurs players who have been out of action this season, it is a hamstring injury for the Dutchman. The 23-yhear-old has been pretty much out of action since the end of October.

He made a 79-minute return against Chelsea in the Premier League in December - perhaps rushing back too soon as he was then not seen until that Elfsborg clash at the end of January.

Van de Ven has now been missing since then, although it is unclear whether it remains hamstring issues or a thigh problem now.

How many games has he missed?

Van de Ven has missed a total of 24 games across four competitions for Tottenham - a prolonged period for Postecoglou to be without his first choice centre-back.

Spurs have only won nine of those matches, with pressure put on a number of other players to play week in and week out without options on the bench.

What has Postecoglou said?

Postecoglou had to come out and say that Van de Ven had not suffered a setback in his recovery from injury after questions were asked as to why the defender returned against Elfsborg and then has not played again.

Postecoglou said: "With Micky we made a decision, and I was certainly the catalyst of that, to just have a look at exactly beyond the injury how we can get him back in a good spot. He is doing some different things and working with some different people it’s not as much about the injury as about the mechanics of him because we want him back and we want him back in a real good space.

"He is training and feels really good. We are still confident his return is imminent but we want to make sure we get it right.

"You know, he is still a very young man in terms of footballing experience, and his career. What you want is Micky to play 10 years at the best possible level, this gives us the opportunity to address what we can while in the middle of the season to get him to the best possible level he can get to."

When will he be back?

Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of the win over Manchester United, Postecoglou said that Van de Ven, alongside Cristian Romero and Richarlison, were about "two or three weeks away".

Van de Ven and the other duo have been back in first team training with the squad and are almost ready to return to action. With no game on March 1 due to being knocked out of the FA Cup, the clash with Bournemouth on Sunday, March 9 could be the perfect time to welcome Van de Ven back into the team.

If Spurs wanted to be really cautious, there is an international break after that game and he could be rested until after that. But if he is fit, it could lead to a call-up for the Netherlands and that could be disastrous.