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Ange Postecoglou had positive Tottenham injury news for a change and plenty of clarity on Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero's injury recoveries at his press conference on Friday.

Tottenham return to Premier League action with the visit of Manchester United on Sunday. Spurs won their last Premier League match at Brentford but then exited both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at the hands of Liverpool and Aston Villa. However, Postecoglou has now finally had a string of players returning to training this week from injury and he delivered a big update on who will be back and available to be part of Sunday's squad.

Tottenham supporters have been looking for updates on Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero and they got plenty of detail from the Australian.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

What's the latest team news?

It has been a good week, it’s fair to say, in terms of the health and wellbeing of the group of young men I look after. The guys who have been playing have benefitted a fair bit from having a couple of days off and regenerating. That has been really important for us.

On the injury front, it is certainly good to have some significant players back. For training purposes to start with as it raises the level and quality of our training but also in terms of helping us from a playing perspective.

Vicario has trained really well and is good to go. Madders is good to go. Then we have had Destiny, Wilson and Brennan also training with the group. They are in a good space as well so it’s been a good training week.

Have Van de Ven and Romero suffered setbacks or are you just being cautious with them?

It is not either. 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.

With Romero it has been a healing issue. The injury hadn’t healed up as quickly as we thought it would which, again, we could have pushed him and risked it but we have waited to give him a bit more time. We will get some clear indication as to his healing and depending on that his return could be imminent as well.

How much respect do you have for Ruben Amorim sticking with his ideals?

I have said before I have respect for all managers because I know how tough it is. I’m sure if you ask Ruben he would just say that he is doing what he was brought in to do.

Obviously they have scouted and identified him. The way he plays and goes about his business. You don’t just make these appointments because you like the look of someone. You do actually a lot of work and you bring him in with a purpose. If anybody believes anything can change significantly in a short space of time then you are living in an alternative universe that is not based in reality.

I’m sure, and who am I to advise anybody, if Man Utd stuck with Ruben for the next two years, they would see progress. Absolutely because that is how long it takes. If anybody can show me somebody who has done it quicker without significant investment, by all means put it across my desk and I will follow that blueprint. But we know there is a blueprint there. I’m sure, irrespective of the noise and I have only spoken to Ruben for maybe 30 seconds at a game, I’m sure he is going ‘I’m going to do what I was brought in to do.’ And that is what he should do.

Can you be more specific with Romero and Van de Ven?

No, mate because I am not a doctor and also as I keep saying, there is a barrier you can’t cross when you are talking about people whether that is injuries or medically. Unless you want to call me a liar, what I am saying is both of them are training. There is evidence of that if you want that. Both of them are in a good place in terms of their recovery. Different reasons we’ve held both back and again once they are right, they’ll be in

I'm not calling you a liar, but from the outside, it looks like all or nothing for Europa League, are you saving them for that?

No and we’re not all or nothing on anything. We still want to progress in the league. We’re not happy with the position we’re in. There are still significant games. It’s not like there is a few games to go. There is still a lot of football to be played in the league and we want to address our league position and finish the season strong. Alongside that obviously the Europa League now is a great focus for us with us being out of the other cups, but we’re not saving anyone for anything because ultimately what I want is both Micky and Romero have had disrupted seasons in that they’ve got injured, come back and got injured again and I don’t want the same scenario.

You know whilst it may look with Micky like we had a false start with the Elfsborg thing, I think it gave us an indication of where he is at. We could have pushed on absolutely and we could have pushed on with Romero, but my view is let’s get them back and get them back right until the end of the season so we give them a chance as well to make a contribution to hopefully a strong finish for us.

I guess this has been one of your best weeks of the whole season because you’ve had a chance…

Because we haven’t had a game? And we haven’t lost? Yeah, it’s been a decent week it is fair to say!

Do you feel like a new you after a bit of rest?

I’ve been grumpy?

A little bit...

It’s fair enough too. I’ve sometimes had to do this three times a week with zero sleep, cut me a little bit of slack. I can’t be bubbly and cheery all the time. No, it’s fair to say I appreciate the fact that there wasn’t a game this midweek for sure. I had dinner with my family last night and my boy said it seems like you haven’t had a game for a while dad and it has been four days. That’s the cycle we’ve all been in. Not just me, the other coaches. It certainly, when you are going at it all the time, it does become a bit of a grind but you have to do it. I have to do it, there is no alternative, I can’t not do things I am responsible for. You know, having the opportunity, like this, not to front up the same kind of questions allows you to take a breath and hopefully I am back to the same man as I was before.

Are you the same man?

I’ve always been the same. I am sure that grumpiness will emerge at the appropriate time when it is needed.

How important is it to have Vicario and Maddison's leadership back?

Yes, it is massive. Both of them, particularly Vic, it is not just that Vic is an outstanding goalkeeper but in training he is such a presence among the boys. He gets everyone going and it has been tough without him because we’ve used three other goalkeepers. They’ve all contributed but none of them have let us down. It’s just that Vic is experienced and has a strong personality. Madders is the same. He has enormous self-belief and that filters through the team. The energy and experience they bring to training will certainly make a difference for us.

Could Maddison or Udogie start?

Madders is a possibility. Destiny, with the guys who have missed a little bit more, Madders has been a shorter term one, we will see. They may be on the bench and we look at our schedule when next week we have no game and can train and then the following week we have got a midweeker so what I really want is when we get to that midweeker that Destiny, Brennan, Wilson and Timo, at a stretch, call get some gametime so when we need to rotate from Ipswich into City that these guys have played significant minutes.

When you spoke about Van de Ven and the mechanics of his body, is that down to his previous hamstring injuries and those before Spurs?

Yes, it is just him understanding his body. Look, it is not my space but you look to the experts in that space and there are people looking at different ways, because he is an elite athlete but he is also at the extremities of speed and with those athletes you look at how they perform at the optimum level without putting their body at risk. 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.

It's the first chance to ask you about your Europa League squad changes, can you let us know the thinking behind the three changes?

[Turns to his press officer] He was always going to. (Laughs) Yeah, pretty straight forward. Obviously with Radu going down we're short a central defender there and with Micky and Romero we've got to see when they come back in there, it made sense to bring Kevin and Djed into the squad. Obviously keen to bring Mathys in there as well. That's why we signed him and we could only make the three changes. We're obviously limited because we don't have club-trained [players] and that's going to be an issue for us for the next couple of years. So that limits the opportunities for us to tinker any more, but with the three changes I thought they were the logical ones.

It sounds like from what you're saying, Guglielmo Vicario is still the number one goalkeeper now he's back, and I was wondering how you see the relationship between him and Kinsky?

He's still the number one. I mean he got injured when we beat Man City and we were fifth in the table, so he wasn't dropped, he was injured, so he's back now and certainly we're happy to have him back. I've been really happy with with Toni.

Even at Villa, I mean, obviously you know he made the mistake, but his reaction to that was I thought outstanding for a 21-year-old in that environment to bounce back from a mistake like that. I mean we've thrown him in and given him some enormous tasks with very little sort of preparation and I just think he's going to be an outstanding goalkeeper.

Brandon as well has really grown through this period, so I know [Rob] Birchy's really happy now with the goalkeeping group in that we've got a really strong goalkeeping group now that can push each other. Really, really pleased to get Toni into the club, because we think he's going to be an outstanding goalkeeper and no better one to work alongside than than Vic.

The intensity has been dialled down for the last four games for obvious reasons, but I was wondering with the week off and players coming back, can you kind of go back towards what you believe in?

We never stop going towards what we believe in, it's just that we weren't able to do it. As I said after the game, you're talking about players who are fatigued, tired, mentally, physically, facing enormous challenges with 60 hour intervals. There hasn't been a change of approach.

What the week does give us, it does give us a chance to re-energise and hopefully allow us to better execute the kind of football we want to play.

That style of football, that's going to continue from now on?

That's always been the aim, it's never wavered from that. That's the kind of football we want to play. It's the kind of team we want to be, and the next two to three weeks allows us to get some players back, which will help with our training, help with our preparation, help with our ability to rotate, but also not having midweek games gives us a good chance to recover between games to reach those levels.

With Sonny, as captain, can you give us a bit of an insight about the sort of things he does off the pitch, behind the scenes, because I imagine his leadership's been quite important during this difficult period?

I think with Sonny, the main thing is he sets the standard in terms of the way he trains, the way he prepares himself. He sets the example with everything he does in and around the club and outside the club, and he tries to be a positive influence on everyone, keep everyone's mind focused in a positive way and it hasn't been easy because he's probably feeling, he has been feeling, the same as the other players, you know, fatigue. It's hard to put that to one side as an individual, because you're a leader and try to transfer that positiveness to others.

I think, him and some of the other guys have stepped up as well in this period. The fact that the players have stuck together through that whole process, at no stage did they splinter off or look to absolve any responsibility of themselves as individuals is a testament to the fact that there's a good bonding there that's been laid down by Sonny and and the other leaders. Hopefully now he gets a bit of help, like I said with guys like Vic and Madders who are on our leadership group, Romero's the other one, that could help him carry the load.

Did you feel though as captain, obviously having been here for so many years, that he's felt that sense of responsibility a bit more during the difficult period?

Yeah I'm sure he did but that's the nature of leadership. There's no point in taking on a leadership role if you don't want that responsibility. That's an essential, core part of leading people. During tough times you have to carry the extra load, otherwise you're better off not being in that position. It's not easy and requires a lot of discipline and internal fortitude to make sure you're constantly putting aside your own personal feelings for the better of the group.

Have you been speaking to people outside the club on Micky van de Ven?

Yeah, we always are but we've had a couple of people externally have a look at him and give him some more guidance and information and [speak] to our staff as well about some things he can do differently which will help him as much around, not the injury, but making sure his body is better equipped to handle the kind of athlete he is.

Has Micky been frustrated?

He was frustrated. But I had a good chat to him. I guess he just wanted to keep going but I said to him he's still got a 10-year career ahead of him and once he's well into his career and flying, this period will seem insignificant, an extra two or three weeks, for the benefit hopefully of him coming back and playing to the levels [required]. Look, he's a big part of this football club, not just now but for the future as well. It's in our interests, you've always got to protect your assets and he's a major asset to this football club. His career is much more important than one or two weeks of doing some extra work.

Were you worried at any point that either Micky or Cuti may need surgery?

No, never close. Neither of them have ever been discussed. I don't know why people think I'm hiding stuff, maybe I don't explain myself clearly. The injuries were the injuries, Cuti had a quad strain, Micky had a hamstring. When Wilson did his hamstring, he had surgery. There was no issue there. He was out for three months. Micky was never even close, never discussed, it was never... But when you re-injure something, there's invariably a more cautious approach. When it's someone like Micky, who's an extreme athlete, I think you need in my experience to take it a little bit further.

But surgery has never ever entered any discussion with other player. Now, if we pushed them back early and they weren't ready, that becomes a real issue and we tried to avoid that. But it was never surgery. The injury was the injury. With Micky it's a hamstring, Cuti's it's a quad. With Micky there's no issue around the injury any more, it's just about mechanics. With Cuti, it's just healing slower than we thought it would.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Former Tottenham striker Louis Saha says he can see Harry Kane back in the Premier League - but has warned him off joining rivals Arsenal.

Details of Kane's apparent release clause were made public this week. BILD in Germany revealed that the 31-year-old could exit Bayern Munich for £54million in January 2026.

It was also reported that Kane would have been free to leave the Bundesliga giants for just £67m in the January transfer window, a mere 18 months after he joined the club in a £100m deal from Spurs. While Kane has not won a major trophy with the German giants yet, he has scored an astonishing 72 goals in 73 games since joining them.

However, rumours linking him with a shock move to Arsenal have persisted with Mikel Arteta's side grappling with a ruthless injury crisis in the striking department. A potential season-ending injury to Kai Havertz and long lay-offs for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have seen Arsenal heavily linked with several forwards.

Yet Saha, who spent six months at Spurs, has told Kane to avoid the Gunners, as they don't guarantee him winning silverware.

"Harry Kane is a legend at Tottenham. He left the country for trophies and a new challenge, and he could end up back in the Premier League – he may prefer the lifestyle in London," Saha told Paddy Power. "I could never see him joining Arsenal though – they are not guaranteed to win trophies, despite having great players and playing well.

"A striker of his quality will definitely give them more of a chance, but he can do that at Tottenham as well. He's someone I respect and a good example for youngsters, so I could never advise him to join Arsenal."

Kane is Tottenham's all-time leading goalscorer with 280 goals in 435 games. And former Spurs winger Aaron Lennon has also revealed that he could never see Kane make a move to the Emirates, namely due to the inevitable comparisons to Sol Calmpbell, who shifted allegiances from Spurs to Arsenal in 2001 and endured ire from fans.

"I'm not buying that, not a chance in the world Harry Kane goes to Arsenal," Lennon told talkSPORT. "I think he goes to a better club (when he leaves Bayern) or he finishes his career back at Spurs. There's no chance he goes to Arsenal, can you imagine what that would do? (to the Tottenham fans)."

Arteta could also be interested in the prolific England forward due to the pain he has inflicted on Arsenal over the years. Kane has netted 15 times against his former foes including a penalty at the Emirates in last season’s Champions League quarter-final victory for Munich.

Ange Postecoglou is holding his press conference on Friday as Tottenham return to Premier League action with the visit of Manchester United.

Spurs won their last Premier League match at Brentford but since then have exited both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at the hands of Aston Villa and Liverpool respectively. Now they take on Ruben Amorim's Manchester United side who are also struggling this season and sit just two points ahead of them in the table.

Postecoglou was expecting to have some players returning to training this week from injury and he will deliver an update on who will be back and available to be part of Sunday's squad. Tottenham supporters are also looking for updates on Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero with the injuries to the absent key central defensive duo shrouded somewhat in mystery.

There is also set to be a protest before and after the game from Spurs fans aimed at chairman Daniel Levy and his running of the club over what is nearly a quarter of a century at the helm and Postecoglou could also be asked about that.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and James Maddison are all in contention to return to action for Tottenham against Manchester United on Sunday. Spurs have been dealt a cruel hand on the injury front this campaign but things do look to be easing up at such a crucial time in the calendar.

Postecoglou has also revealed that Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner have returned to team training, with a decision needing to be made over whether the former returns to the matchday squad this weekend or next. Wilson Odobert has also returned to team training but caution will be taken with his integration following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Tottenham have confirmed that Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison remain sidelined for this weekend's game in N17.

Speaking to Tottenham's official website regarding Vicario's return, Postecoglou said: “Some of the lads who have been out for quite a while look like they’re in a good place now. Vic is probably the one who has come back ahead of schedule.

"He’s been training really well away from the team for two weeks. In the last 10 days he’s integrated back into the team and is fully into training, so he’s in a good place and that means he becomes available for us.”

He added: "Madders is a little bit ahead of schedule (in his recovery). He’s feeling really good. He’s had a good week of training. We were thinking maybe (it'll be) next week for him, but he’s trained really well all week, and he’s had the least amount of time out, so he’s looking in a good place.

"Of the longer-term (injuries), Destiny is back in team training as well, which is good. He’s ticked all the boxes in terms of getting through his rehab and conditioning, so he’s part of the squad."

On Odobert, Johnson and Werner's return to training, the Australian said: “Wilson’s back, which is brilliant for him because he’s been out the longest and it’s been a long road for him to get back, but he’s back in team training.

"Obviously, he’s missed more football than the others, so we’ll see when we integrate him back into matchdays, but definitely looking good in training.

“Brennan is progressing well. Again, he joined in team training, he will train again today which means, whether it’s this weekend or next weekend, he’ll be good to go. Timo is also training with us and is getting pretty close to being available.”

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham now have a better idea of their potential Europa League round of 16 opponents following the results in the competition on Thursday evening. Having a rare midweek off after securing a top-eight finish in UEFA's second club competition at the end of January, Ange Postecoglou and his side could watch on at a time when others were playing the first leg of their knockout phase play-off tie.

Following the draw for the play-off fixtures a fortnight ago, Spurs discovered at the time that they will play one of Galatasaray, Real Sociedad, Midtjylland or AZ Alkmaar in the round of 16. The draw paired Galatasaray with AZ Alkmaar and Real Sociedad against Danish side Midtjylland.

The teams were in action on Thursday evening, with AZ Alkmaar and Real Sociedad crucially taking an advantage into next week's return leg that will determine who makes the round of 16 and who crashes out altogether. The standout result on the night was AZ securing a 4-1 win over Galatasaray at AFAS Stadion.

Making the best possible start to the contest with Sven Mijnans scoring an outstanding free-kick that found the top corner of the goal, ex-Tottenham striker Troy Parrott then put them back in front from the penalty spot after Roland Sallai had equalised. Galatasaray were reduced to ten men shortly after the restart as Kaan Ayhan was dismissed from the field of play, with the hosts going on to take full advantage as Jordy Clasie and David Moller Wolfe added further goals to complete a resounding 4-1 win.

AZ travel to Istanbul next week with a healthy lead and they look to be in a good position of making it through to the round of 16. Real Sociedad will also be expected to join them in the next stage of the competition after winning 2-1 at Midtjylland.

Brais Mendez and Takefusa Kubo were on the scoresheet for the Spanish side in the first half, before Adam Buksa pulled one back for the Danes shortly before the break. Midtjylland were unable to net an equaliser in the second half and Real Sociedad will now be red-hot favourites to secure a last 16 berth next Thursday in San Sebastian.

It does now appear that Tottenham will play one of AZ Alkmaar or Real Sociedad in the round of 16 but you can never say never in European competition, especially with Galatasaray boasting some good attacking options and also a very passionate home crowd. Spurs' next opponents will be confirmed when the draw is made at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland at midday on Friday, February 21.

From the knockout round play-offs onwards, the competition is using a bracket system, just like in major international tournaments, and Tottenham's route to the final and possible opponents will be mapped out. The north London club will be seeded in next Friday's draw, meaning they will be at home in the second leg of their round of 16 fixture, and they will either be drawn in the silver side or orange side of the bracket, thus determining their route all the way to the final in Bilbao in May.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has issued a message to Ange Postecoglou - and revealed that he still tries to watch his former club in action.

Pochettino spent five years as Spurs manager from 2014-19, guiding the club to a Champions League final before leaving North London a few months later. The 52-year-old eventually went on to manage Paris Saint-Germain before becoming Chelsea boss for the 2023/24 campaign.

After just one season at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino left the Premier League once again and is now enjoying his new role as head coach of the United States national team. Despite leaving Tottenham more than five years ago, Pochettino has shown he still has a connection to the club with his latest admission and also had a message for Postecoglou.

"I watch all the games that I can," Pochettino replied when asked if he finds to watch any Premier League football since moving to the United States. "And, of course, one of the teams that I always watch is Tottenham, for sure."

Pochettino added: "He's [Postecoglou] a great coach. Great club, great fans. It's impossible to say anything but good things about everyone there."

Pochettino was also asked about the challenge facing Postecoglou at Spurs this season. Despite Tottenham exiting two competitions over the last week and sitting in 14th place in the Premier League table, Pochettino has given a vote of confidence in Postecoglou.

"That is football, that is life. Sometimes ups, sometimes downs. That is what happens," said Pochettino.

"We are colleagues, we are coaches. Always we need to be focused on ourselves, and every single coach in the world has their ideas and the capacity to change things."

Tottenham have been given approval to build a new women's training ground and academy within Whitewebbs Park, next to their Hotspur Way site, despite a huge number of objections.

At the end of a three-hour Enfield Council planning committee meeting on Tuesday night, which included a speech by Tottenham captain Bethany England, the council decided to approve the green belt plans to grant a 25-year lease to the football club for the new training ground and academy, which will contain 11 pitches and a new clubhouse.

Almost 300 objections had been sent in about the loss of green space and the impact on wildlife. In 2024, campaigners Friends of Whitewebbs Park challenged the council in the High Court over the decision to lease the section of the park to Spurs but lost their case.

An 18-hole golf course at Whitewebbs Park was closed in 2021 and that 240-acre site was reclaimed by nature and used by the public. Now Spurs have said in their documents that the training complex in the park will include a section that will preserve a woodland area and 2,000 trees will be planted at the site.

After speakers from two community group passionately made clear their opposition to the plans, Spurs women's captain England had her say at the meeting on Tuesday - the day before she met King Charles at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - and spoke of the need for the new venture.

"This facility would provide our professional squad and local women and girls with the same opportunities to succeed as our male counterparts," the 30-year-old is quoted as saying in the Enfield Dispatch. “We need this facility to compete with the very best teams […] this is a once in a generation opportunity."

England added that the community football programmes to be provided as part of the plans would be "very important to inspire and nurture the very best talent" and added that she wants "to see the next generation of Women’s Super League stars coming to Enfield".

A Spurs spokesperson said: "We are delighted that Enfield Council’s Planning Committee has voted to approve our proposals. This is a special site and one we know extremely well being based next door. Our proposals will secure its future with a green use and ensure it remains an open and inclusive place for local people to enjoy.

"We shall improve local access to nature and habitats, provide new facilities for visitors, community groups, and sports clubs, and put Enfield on the map as a champion of the women’s and girls’ game with a best-in-class academy.

"We should like to thank all those who have engaged with us over the past few years and we shall now work with Enfield Council to conclude the necessary legal agreements. We shall of course continue to keep our local community updated on our next steps."

The meeting ended with councillors voting in favour of approving the Green Belt development after a concession made by Spurs to allay the committee's concerns over the impact a new access road would have on the ancient woodland with the park.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

It is not every year Tottenham can say they have had a number of successful loan moves. This season is different, however.

Manor Solomon has taken his game to a whole new level at Leeds United, Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley are both thriving at Leyton Orient, Ashley Phillips and Alfie Devine are getting valuable minutes in the tank for Stoke City and Westerlo respectively and Bryan Gil is making a big impression back in Spain for Girona. Amid all the positive loans, there is another one that ranks incredibly highly in this campaign's success stories but has maybe gone under the radar slightly.

The player in question is George Abbott, who is enjoying a real breakout season in the senior game with Notts County. His first loan move away from Tottenham, the 19-year-old is making waves in League Two and playing a big part in the Magpies' promotion push.

Abbott has made such an impression that Notts County boss Stuart Maynard believes the teenager has an extremely bright future ahead of him and that he can go on to play in Tottenham's first team.

“I think he can go all the way to the top, he’s been so consistent from minute one I feel he’s getting better game-by-game,” he said in January (via NottsTV)

“We’re absolutely delighted that he’s with us, he’s got a bright future and I believe that at some stage he’ll play in Spurs’ first team."

Abbott has in fact already played for Tottenham's first team after making his senior bow off the bench at Leeds United on the final day of the 2022/23 season. Ryan Mason was the man who handed Abbott his debut and he was full of praise for the starlet when speaking in his post-match press conference.

Although Abbott wasn't to make an appearance in the first-team squad last season under Ange Postecoglou, it was a very successful year for the player as he captained Tottenham to Premier League 2 success after they beat Sunderland in the play-off final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Needing to take the next step in his development, the Islington-born player was given the green light to depart on loan in the summer after a handful of pre-season appearances and he headed for Notts County.

His move to Meadow Lane has proved to be extremely successful so far, with Abbott making 26 appearances in all competitions for his team and contributing with four goals and four assists in the process. The player has scored a couple of screamers as well, most notably a vicious, swerving strike at Cheltenham Town in December and an eye-catching volley at Accrington Stanley the following month.

Mainly operating in the holding role in midfield, Abbott is a Notts County regular and has started 22 of his 24 League Two appearances, playing the full 90 minutes in all but four. The Magpies have had some high-profile names represent them on loan in the past, including Jack Grealish, Ryan Yates and Callum McGregor, thus seeing the Tottenham youngster earn comparisons with the trio in the process.

"It's always an amazing thing for the fans to sort of compare me to the brilliant players that have moved on from Notts County to where they are now," Abbott told BBC East Midlands Today. "I hope I can carry on from where they left off, be my own player and get to the level they are now."

There have been notable examples in the past where Tottenham have recalled players from successful loan spells and immediately sent them to a higher division. That has not happened with Abbott, though, and he remains a Notts player until the end of the campaign.

Going on his successful time in League Two this term, a move up to a higher division looks likely in 2025/26. Before that, however, Postecoglou and Spurs may want to keep a close eye on the player over the course of pre-season as they plan ahead for the future.

Youngsters are always given a shot in the summer friendlies and that may well be the case for Abbott again in July and August. Tottenham appear to have another star on their hands, with Abbott perhaps someone who may go slightly under the radar at a time when Mikey Moore, Donley and Keeley are the ones firmly in the headlines.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham have submitted plans to extend their training complex with a new and improved gym and treatment room which unfortunately will come too late for their current injury crisis.

Spurs sent their plans to Enfield Council in mid-December and they were validated this month with further documents before they work their way through the planning process. It is something of a coincidence that the north London club could have done with a larger treatment room in recent months with Ange Postecoglou's side going through a prolonged and unprecedented injury crisis, with more than double figures in unavailable players for most games.

If approved, the new plans, which were first mooted in 2021, will result in an extension to the western side of the first team building at the Hotspur Way training complex in Enfield.

The extension will provide an enlarged and improved gym for the first team to use, integrating state-of-the-art training, recovery and rehabilitation technologies, with the aim of optimising the players’ performance. Some of the enhancements will include an Altitude gym, high performance data collection, a yoga and Pilates studio as well as integrated nutrition within the gym.

The new proposals will also deliver a new and improved treatment room and enhanced sport science facilities, enabling more rapid and improved injury treatment, prevention and recovery.

The new sport science facilities will allow the club to keep pace with the ever-progressing medical science within football and will include a cryotherapy chamber, specialised rehabilitation gym and recovery room. The plans also include new consultation rooms to accommodate the expanding medical team and provide enhanced medical care as well as providing improved kit storage and space for other support functions.

The design and access statement submitted to the council by FA Architects, on behalf of Spurs, reads: "The proposed first team extension was developed as a direct response to the club’s ongoing operational needs, as they seek to continue their success at the highest level of European football.

"The club is committed to continue delivering a high-quality service and talent development suited for a top tier football team. As a result, the size and existing facilities in its current building must follow suit in terms of expansion and improvement, within this advancing field of sports facilities.

"Since the training centre opened nearly 10 years ago in late 2012 there have been a number of developments across the elite men’s professional game and sports science that now require the club to investigate the need to expand the gym and medical wing at the training centre.

"This would support the operational and training requirements of the first team, and help to maintain the facility’s world class status, which is vital to club’s ability to perform at the highest national and international levels, as well as attract future talent.

"These new developments in sports science have required the number of permanent staff members to increase from 105 in 2016 to 300 in 2023, due to the expansion of existing departments within the centre, and a number of newly formed ones."

Tottenham will be hoping that, if approved, the new area will prevent further injury crises like the one the club has been battling with this season.

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Tottenham skipper Son Heung-min confessed to King Charles that the squad is going through a "difficult moment", but he remains optimistic about defeating Manchester United this weekend.

The 76-year-old monarch paid a visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday, an event organised to highlight Tottenham's socio-economic contribution to the local community. During his visit, he met with chairman Daniel Levy, men's captain Son and women's captain Bethany England.

The King was spotted exchanging pleasantries with Son and engaged in a conversation about Tottenham's tumultuous season. Currently, Ange Postecoglou's side sit 14th in the Premier League following an injury-plagued campaign and were knocked out of two cup competitions in the past week.

When asked by King Charles about their upcoming match, Son confirmed they would be facing Ruben Amorim's Manchester United on Sunday. Upon being asked if Spurs stood a good chance, the 32-year-old responded: "I hope so". The King then enquired about the team's current state, to which Son hesitated before admitting: "We are in a difficult moment but we are working hard."

This interaction comes just days after Prince William's Aston Villa increased the pressure on Spurs and chairman Levy by eliminating them from the FA Cup, reports the Mirror. Son has also faced criticism during Tottenham's disastrous season after being accused of disappearing in matches.

Despite not being at his best, the forward has still managed to contribute significantly with ten goals and seven assists in all competitions. Spurs are gearing up for a massive clash against United this weekend, where Postecoglou is optimistic about welcoming back several key players who have been sidelined due to injuries. The likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner could all make a return.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.