Tottenham injury latest as nine miss Man City FA Cup tie amid huge James Maddison decision

Ange Postecoglou still has a number of Tottenham players unavailable through injury and international commitments despite welcoming back an influential duo earlier this month. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were both named in the starting XI to face Manchester United following hamstring injuries.

Spurs had been without van de Ven for much longer than Romero with the Netherlands international suffering the injury back in November. His centre-back partner, meanwhile, had been absent since the win over Everton in late December and both returning comes at the perfect time.

Spurs have had a near two-week break since their last game which allowed both defenders to play a considerable section of the Man United draw to then be ready to start Friday evening's FA Cup tie against Manchester City. In the late stages of the clash at Old Trafford, van de Ven was withdrawn, however the man himself confirmed there was no major issues.

«At the end there a bit of cramp,» he told Sky Sports. «It was just cramp in the calf. I haven't played for two-and-a-half months and the intensity of the game was really high, but it was just cramp.» With van de Ven expected to be available, all the focus is now on James Maddison after he returned to training last week.

Prior to offering a specific Maddison update, Postecoglou revealed the latest injury news to Spurs TV. «Team news, from the last game game everyone is ok. Deki has recovered. The boys had four days off last week.» Maddison picked up the ankle injury in November with 10 weeks of recovery required before he returned to full training Hotspur Way. Ahead of the clash, Postecoglou was understandably asked about the chances of him starting or at the very least featuring at Tottenham Hotspur