Spurs looking to returning players for more consistency, says Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven may finally return to action in Sunday's Premier League clash at home to Bournemouth after weeks on the sidelines with thigh injuries, manager Ange Postecoglou has said.

Van de Ven and Romero travelled for Thursday's Europa League round of 16 first-leg clash at AZ Alkmaar, but Postecoglou said he decided not to field them during the 1-0 loss due to the poor quality of the pitch at the Dutch club.

"When I saw the pitch the night before I pretty much made up my mind I wasn’t going to risk them last night," he told reporters on Friday.

"It wasn’t a great pitch, it wasn’t steady underfoot and it wasn’t a game where I thought I needed to expose them. But a couple of extra days' training and recovery and hopefully both are in line to feature (against Bournemouth).”

Postecoglou was hopeful Dominic Solanke would recover quickly after the England striker was forced off 20 minutes into his comeback from the knee injury he suffered in January.

“Too early to tell. With Dom, he got a knee to the backside so he’s probably a bit sore but it’s a knock so hopefully it settles down pretty quickly," the Australian said.

Wales defender Ben Davies also has a chance to return on Sunday after picking up an injury last month, Postecoglou added.

The manager said Spurs' injury woes have contributed to their inconsistent Premier League performances as they sit 13th after a seven-match winless streak in the competition between December and January before three straight wins last month.

"Inconsistency has come from not having a consistent line-up... last night was a reflection of where we are," he said.

"We definitely need another game to get the squad where we need to get to. Last night's disappointment - the best way is to put it right at the weekend ... I still want us to move up the table."