Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou admits Micky van de Ven's injury is a setback.

Postecoglou concedes the Dutch defender is also frustrated given the way he's been playing.

He said, "Like any footballer, that's probably their biggest fear — that there's always the possibility of injury disrupting their careers. He was obviously disappointed but now it's about rehab and making sure he uses his time to come back better than ever.

"He's got good support in the building in terms of the medical team and support staff. Knowing Micky in already the time I've spent with him, he'll leave no stone unturned to make sure he comes back bigger and better.

"All the absences have an effect on the team. I guess the unusual one for us [is that there are] not many times in my career when you have such a disruption for one game. We've lost four or five starters in one game — three of our back four. That's where we get affected more than anything else. If it was just Micky, you'd miss him because of the qualities he has. It wouldn't disrupt us as much. But we've got to bring in three different players in a back four, and that's the big challenge for us."