Jan Paul van Hecke injury concern emerges on Netherlands duty

Tottenham Hotspur face a fresh injury concern after Jan Paul van Hecke was forced to leave Netherlands training early ahead of their upcoming match against Greece.

According to De Telegraaf, Van Hecke withdrew from the Netherlands’ final training session in Zeist on Wednesday. The centre-back briefly spoke with manager Xavi before leaving the pitch and sitting in the dugout.

The nature and severity of the problem have not yet been confirmed. The Dutch Football Association is expected to clarify whether Van Hecke will travel with the squad for the match in Greece.

For Tottenham, the uncertainty comes after the defender had established himself in the Netherlands starting XI during this international break.

Van Hecke played the full 90 minutes in each of the Netherlands’ previous two matches, starting alongside captain Virgil van Dijk against Germany and Serbia.

His early departure from training therefore creates an immediate selection issue for Xavi.

De Telegraaf reports that Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber is considered the most logical replacement should Van Hecke be unavailable against Greece.

Timber has fitness concerns of his own after recently returning from a groin injury. The Netherlands have been managing his workload carefully, although he did feature for 10 minutes in the 2-1 victory over Serbia.

No diagnosis has yet been provided for Van Hecke, making it too early to determine whether the issue could also affect his availability when he returns to Tottenham.

Van Hecke is the latest player to encounter a fitness problem during a difficult international period for the Netherlands.

Brian Brobbey, Lutsharel Geertruida and Cody Gakpo have already left the Dutch camp early, while Donyell Malen and Justin Kluivert withdrew before the international period began.

Van Hecke has not yet officially withdrawn, but his inability to complete Wednesday’s training session makes his participation against Greece uncertain.

Tottenham will now be waiting alongside the Netherlands for greater clarity over the defender’s condition.

The immediate development to watch is the KNVB’s decision on whether Van Hecke remains with the Netherlands squad for the trip to Greece.

If he is ruled out, Timber could step into central defence alongside Van Dijk, although his own workload has been carefully managed following a groin problem.

Tottenham will also want to establish whether Van Hecke’s early training exit was precautionary or represents an injury that could affect his club availability. Until further medical information emerges, the extent of the setback remains unclear.