Tottenham predicted XI vs Manchester United as £43m star returns for the first time in 66 days

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven was an unused substitute against Burnley last weekend as he worked his way back to full fitness. But the injury to Ben Davies that night means he's likely to be thrown straight in at Old Trafford. 

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has been boosted by the arrival of Germany striker Timo Werner, who could also make his debut for the club on Sunday and the imminent arrival of Romanian superstar Radu Dragusin from Genoa. The 21-year-old too could make his first appearance for the club this weekend. 

Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United remain hugely inconsistent, losing to Nottingham Forest before they got past Wigan in the FA Cup while Tottenham come into this one having won four of their last five games and looking to jump back into the top four. 

Tottenham manager Postecoglou will be without several stars including club captain Son Heung-min who is in Qatar with his country South Korea for the Asian Cup. Midfielder Yves Bissouma is in the Ivory Coast with Mali and the season's breakout star Pape Matar Sarr is with Senegal trying to help the African Champions defend their AFCON trophy.

James Maddison's ankle is improving even though this game comes mightly too early for him and Cristian Romero, described by Messi as one of the best defenders in the world after the World Cup triumph in 2022, is also a doubt due to injury. 

Tottenham beat Man United 2-0 in north London earlier in the campaign, if they can repeat the same scoreline this weekend, Postecoglou will give his players two days off as a reward. 

Here is the team we anticipate he'll start with.