Tottenham Hotspur

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Tottenham legend gives verdict on Radu Dragusin display after Van de Ven concerns grow

Radu Dragusin Tottenham

Radu Draugsin impressed in Tottenham's win at Villa

Legendary Tottenham striker Clive Allen has given his verdict on Radu Dragusin’s display against Aston Villa as fears grow over how long Micky van de Ven’s latest injury could keep him on the sidelines for.

Spurs produced arguably their best performance on the road as they trounced Champions League rivals Aston Villa 4-0 at Villa Park on Sunday thanks to goals from James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min and Timo Werner.

And while there were many positive things coming out of a fine victory another injury to Van de Ven was not one of them.

The Dutchman had to be replaced at the start of the second half after appearing to suffer a recurrence of a hamstring injury that kept him out for a couple of months earlier in the campaign.

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January signing Dragusin was forced off the bench to have his first significant minutes in a Tottenham shirt, having failed to start a game for the club so far after his move from Genoa.

However, he coped well with the threat of one of the Premier League’s top strikers this season in the shape of Ollie Watkins and Allen was clearly impressed with what he saw.

Allen, who scored 49 goals for Tottenham during the 1986-87 season, felt Dragusin looked calm and composed and can form a strong partnership with Cristan Romero if needed.

He told SPURSPLAY: “I thought he was fabulous because Micky’s performance was outstanding, it was a pressure situation for him to come into, he looked really comfortable, he was calm, he was controlled.

“Yes, obviously, we had the man advantage but I just thought that again, alongside Romero, you can see the possibility of a pairing there, with Micky maybe play with three, there are lots of permutations, but the way he handled himself in the time he was on the field was fantastic.”

Postecoglou crossing his fingers over Van de Ven

At this stage, it remains unclear just how long Van de Ven will be out for, although Ange Postecoglou did not seem too concerned when speaking his post-match press conference on Sunday.

He told reporters when asked about the pacy centre-back: “He [Van de Ven] doesn’t think it’s anything too significant. So disappointing for him because he was outstanding again up until that point.

“Great for Radu to come in, his first significant game time in a big game and I thought he handled it really well”.

Dragusin will likely get the opportunity to form a partnership with Romero during Tottenham training this week as they prepare to face Fulham on Saturday.

A win at Craven Cottage will see Spurs leapfrog Villa into the top four, with Unai Emery’s men not in action until Sunday when they head to West Ham.

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