Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has revealed that he is targeting a return to training in two weeks' time, following a spell on the sidelines.
The 22-year-old suffered a serious hamstring injury on November 6, when Ange Postecoglou's Spurs clashed with London rivals Chelsea in a five-goal thriller.
Van de Ven was replaced after 45 minutes and it was later claimed that the summer arrival from Wolfsburg would be out of action for around three months.
The Netherlands international was a regular figure in Spurs' promising early-season performances, starting 11 Premier League matches and scoring the winner at Luton Town on October 7.
As the English top flight enters the middle of its busy festive schedule, Tottenham have been handed a boost in terms of Van de Ven's timeline to recovery.
Speaking at the PDC World Darts Championships at Alexandra Palace on Friday night - where the defender was cheering on compatriot Raymond van Barneveld - the centre-back mentioned this injury, saying: "It's going well – only two more weeks."
If Van de Ven was to return to first-team training at the start of the New Year, the defender could be in line to make an appearance in Spurs' match with Manchester United on January 14.
Postecoglou has a pair of suspensions to deal with ahead of this side's hosting of in-form Everton on Saturday afternoon, with Yves Bissouma banned for four matches after picking up a red card in the win at Nottingham Forest.
Left-back Destiny Udogie will miss the match against Sean Dyche's Toffees due to him collecting his fifth caution of the term at the City Ground, adding to the Lilywhites' absences in defence.
James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur are set to be sidelined until the New Year because of injuries picked up against Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively.
Attackers Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are long-term absentees for Postecoglou's men, with both set for extended periods watching from the stands.
Wales international Ben Davies has been filling in at centre-back as Van de Ven recovers from his hamstring strain, often partnering Argentina's Cristian Romero.
Postecoglou was forced to tinker with his backline even more when Romero was sent off in the 4-1 loss against Mauricio Pochettino's Blues, with Eric Dier starting alongside Davies as the centre-back pairing at Wolverhampton Wanderers. body check tags ::
