Tottenham Hotspur captain Micky van de Ven is the latest player to pick up an injury before his side face Manchester United at Old Trafford in their next Premier League match.
Van de Ven was stood on during the Netherlands' Nations League match against Serbia on Sunday. Luka Jovic landed on the defender's left arm while challenging him in the closing minutes of the match in Eindhoven.
Van de Ven forced off after collision
Van de Ven stayed down clutching his left hand in apparent pain. Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk first checked on his team-mate, with two medical staff members then assisting him off the pitch.
Dutch head coach Xavi had already used his fifth and final substitution moments earlier, temporarily leaving his side reduced to ten men. However, they held out to win 2-1, with Joshua Zirkzee scoring the winner after coming on as a substitute at half-time.
That goal is his first in a competitive match for club or country since the final match of last year, a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, which was Ruben Amorim's penultimate game in charge.
Xavi plays down injury fears
Xavi was asked about Van de Ven's condition during his post-match press conference, with the former Barcelona boss saying: "He's OK, he felt dizzy because he suffered (an injury) in the finger, it's not a big injury."
Van de Ven is the second of Spurs' Dutch defenders to be trodden on in a Nations League encounter against Serbia during this international break. Jan Paul van Hecke was the first to suffer the same fate during the reverse fixture in Belgrade a week prior.
Van Hecke also struggling
Van Hecke managed to remain on the field and complete their 2-1 victory. However, the summer signing lasted merely seven minutes of an open training session in Zeist before being spotted in discussion with Xavi.
Van Hecke then took a seat in the dugout without participating further. Confirmation of his withdrawal then followed shortly afterwards. The player returned to Spurs rather than travelling to Thessaloniki last week for their fixture against Greece. He started their first two Nations League matches alongside Van de Ven.
Xavi explained: "During the match against Serbia, someone stepped on him. He didn't realise it during the match, but afterwards it was impossible for him to play. He really wanted to try, but he was in a lot of pain. That is why we decided to take him off the list. He tried to participate in recovery training [on Tuesday]. He tried again today (Wednesday), but he couldn't touch the ball."
