Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has disclosed that he contacted Alexander Isak following the challenge that left the Liverpool striker with a broken leg. The incident occurred during Liverpool's 2-1 Premier League victory over Tottenham in London, where Isak scored the opening goal before being injured by Van de Ven's late tackle.
Van de Ven told Sky Sports: 'Yeah, I've texted him, of course. I sent him a text because I didn't want to injure him. I just wanted to try to block the shot. I think it was a bit unlucky how his foot landed between my legs. So yeah, I sent him a text afterwards, and I wanted to wish him all the best for his recovery.'
Isak, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in September for a British record £125 million, underwent surgery on Monday to repair a fractured left fibula. He is expected to be sidelined for several months.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot described the tackle as 'reckless,' a view dismissed by Tottenham boss Thomas Frank. Frank said: 'I am obviously disagreeing in many ways. We are talking about a defender that will do everything he can to avoid the goal. It is a transition, there is a ball down the side and he is doing everything he can to block the shot so he is sliding. Unfortunately Isak plants his foot so it makes it look worse than it is, but that is a natural action for a defender.'
Frank added: 'I don't think you see anything like that from Micky. He is very fair and I know the two players have sorted it out, so that's a good sign.'
