British media outlet “Tribal Football” reported on the 9th (Korea Standard Time) that “Tottenham defender Mickey van der Pen is ready to return. There is hope that he will be able to play in the upcoming match against Manchester United.”

Tottenham’s key defender Van der Pen was replaced in the first half after complaining of pain while holding the back of his right thigh during the match against Chelsea in the 11th round of the 2023-24 Premier League in November last year. After the match, he underwent a thorough examination and was diagnosed with a ruptured hamstring.

As his injury was minor, Van der Pen was ruled out for 2023. Without Van der Pen, who was in charge of defense along with Christian Romero, Tottenham’s defense faltered significantly and continued its winless streak (one draw and four losses) for five consecutive games including the match against Chelsea. Fans felt the importance of Van der Pen as he scored the first goal in all five games but failed to win after allowing a loss.

Coach Ange Postecoglou, who is leading Tottenham, also said at a pre-press conference ahead of their showdown with Burnley in the third round (round of 64) of the FA Cup in the 2023-2024 season on the 6th, “Panderpen trained this week. I’m not sure, but he could make the list against Burnley. It’s good to have him back.” 스포츠토토 사이트 추천

“Obviously, Van der Pen has missed a lot of games, so we have to take good care of him,” he said. “We trained with the team. He had three sessions. We are not sure whether he will play or not,” signaling that Van der Pen’s return is imminent.

As Postecoglou predicted, Van der Pen was added to the replacement list for the match against Burnley. While Tottenham won 1-0 thanks to Pedro Porro’s wonder goal on the day to advance to the next round, Van der Pen did not play as a substitute and postponed his return match to the next stage.

As Van der Pen recovered to the point where he was included on the bench list, many predicted that his return to injury would be an away match in the 21st round of the 2023-24 Premier League against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on the 15th.

Fans had high expectations that Van der Pen would return in the best big match of the 21st round. Van der Pen also expected to be deployed to the ground as soon as possible.

“I’m really happy to be back. It’s always a good feeling to be back in the team,” Van der Pen said in an interview with the media. “We have a big game coming up soon, and I hope we can take a moment on that day.”

“I feel good and I don’t have any more pain, so I think I’m ready now,” he said. “It’s been about 10 weeks since I was out, and it was frustrating to just watch from the side,” he said, hoping to be able to have an injury return match against Manchester United.

Van der Pen is a big defender who joined Tottenham Hotspur this summer. Born in 2001, Van der Pen made his professional debut after playing for the Folendam Youth, and gained popularity in Wolfsburg, Germany, to catch the eyes of big clubs.

Despite being 193 cm tall, Van der Pen excelled in his ability to use his fast feet to cover back space and play interpersonal defense. With Tottenham scoring Van der Pen as Christian Romero’s partner, Van der Pen moved to Tottenham for a fee of 40 million euros (W57.4 billion).

Van der Pen, who boasted a fantastic combination with Romero at Tottenham, quickly melted into the team. It quickly converged on the squad both inside and outside the stadium, playing a great role in the team’s early rise in the season. While Van der Pen was there, Tottenham led the Premier League with 10 undefeated matches (8 wins and 2 draws) since the opening. Since then, fans have realized the importance of Van der Pen as his defense has faltered significantly since he was out due to injury and continued a winless streak.

Meanwhile, if Van der Pen starts against Manchester United, attention will be paid to who will play as a partner. With Romero currently out due to a hamstring injury, Tottenham is reportedly on the verge of signing Romanian “monster center back” Radu Dragucine (Genoa).

British public broadcaster “BBC” said on the 9th, “Tottenham is close to recruiting Genoa defender Dragucine,” adding, “Tottenham has almost agreed with Genoa for 25 million euros (about 36.1 billion won) in options and basic transfer fees. As part of the contract, Jed Spence, who returned from a failed loan at Leeds United, could join Genoa on loan for the rest of the season.”

“As expected, Tottenham’s official offer for Radu Dragucine has been sent to Genoa,” said Fabrizio Romano, an expert on the European soccer transfer market. “The basic fee is 25 million euros and the option is 5 million euros. Jed Spence will leave Tottenham for Genoa.”

Since there is still time before the match against Manchester United, Tottenham may put forward “Panderpen-Dragushin” as a combination of center backs against Manchester United if Tottenham quickly completes the recruitment of Dragushin and team training together. Attention is focusing on whether both Van der Pen’s return to injury and Dragushin’s debut against Tottenham will be made in Manchester United’s away match.