Tottenham are facing further injury worries after Jan Paul van Hecke was forced to leave Netherlands training early on Wednesday. The centre-back, who joined from Brighton in a £52m deal this summer, has been a mainstay in the back line for Roberto De Zerbi.
He appears to be the latest casualty of the international break. The Netherlands held an open training session in Zeist ahead of their match against Greece. Footage shows Van Hecke taking part in the early stages of the session before speaking with head coach Xavi and taking a seat in the dugout. Reports in the Dutch media say he lasted just seven minutes.
Uncertainty over withdrawal
It is not yet clear whether his withdrawal was pre-planned or due to a new injury. Xavi will provide an update at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday evening. The Dutch national team will soon confirm their travelling squad for the match, and it remains to be seen if Van Hecke will be involved.
Van Hecke has started alongside Virgil van Dijk in the centre of defence in both of the Netherlands’ matches so far in this international break, a draw with Germany and a defeat of Serbia. He completed 90 minutes in both matches.
Replacement options and wider injury list
Should he be ruled out, Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber has been named as a candidate to replace him. The Netherlands have had poor luck with injuries in this window, with Sunderland’s Briaan Brobbey, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, and Lutsharel Geertruida all forced to withdraw early.
Tottenham are also facing a lengthy and growing injury list, with Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski and Mykhailo Mudryk among those sidelined.
