Micky van de Ven: Tottenham defender says ‘biggest nonsense’ to claim players do not care about club’s struggles

Tottenham Defender Micky van de Ven said it was “the ultimate nonsense” to suggest the club’s players don’t care about the current state of the team.

After a difficult season, Spurs sit 16th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone, with eight games remaining.

This has raised questions about whether Tottenham’s squad are currently thinking about their future beyond this season.

But Van de Ven passionately defended their commitment to the Spurs cause on the eve of Tottenham’s second leg of the Champions League last 16 at home to Atletico Madrid.

“This is the biggest nonsense,” the Dutch defender said at a press conference.

“Believe me, the guys on the field, the staff and the players care very much about the situation we are in right now.

“We just want to turn things around and that’s everybody’s main focus. If the reports say guys don’t care anymore, that’s just going to be frustrating for our guys.”

Spurs trailed Atletico 5-2 in the first leg in Madrid before coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, following their club-record sixth straight defeat.

Van de Ven said suggestions that Spurs players were not bothered by their situation would “bring a lot more problems” because fans “started to believe” them.

“When we read the other day that a man was telling everyone that he was probably going to leave and that he didn’t care about their situation,” the 24-year-old Dutchman added.

“People are just making things up. All I can say about it is that it’s not true.”

Midfielder Joao Palhinha, who suffered a concussion, will not be able to play in Spurs’ match against Atletico.

Captain Cristian Romero, who clashed heads with Palhinha in the first leg, will be ready to play, with left-back Destiny Udogie and midfielder Lucas Bergvall fit enough to feature on the bench after recovering from hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.