Brief

Tottenham defender Jan Paul van Hecke ruled out after Serbia incident

Van Hecke left the squad following a training setback caused by a clash in Serbia, leaving Spurs without the new £52 million defender ahead of their Manchester United clash.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 02 Oct 2026 01:40:22 GMT

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that centre‑back Jan Paul van Hecke will miss the upcoming Premier League fixtures after withdrawing from a training session following a collision in a Nations League match against Serbia, Standard reported on 1 October 2026.

What happened

Van Hecke, who joined Spurs for £52 million from Brighton and has started all but one of Tottenham's seven games this season, was forced to leave a training session after just seven minutes on Wednesday. The club said he returned to London and was taken off the squad list.

What the reports add

Standard quoted Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández, who explained that during the Serbia game “someone stepped on him” and that the injury was not apparent until after the match. Xavi added that Van Hecke attempted recovery training on Tuesday and again on Wednesday but was unable to touch the ball, prompting the decision to pull him from the squad.

What was said

"During the match against Serbia, someone stepped on him," Xavi told Standard. "He didn’t realise it during the match, but afterwards it was impossible for him to play. He really wanted to try, but he was in a lot of pain. That is why we decided to take him off the list. He tried to participate in recovery training (on Tuesday). He tried again today, but he couldn’t touch the ball."

How it came about

Tottenham entered the international break with a relatively clean injury slate, having avoided the spate of knocks that hit other Premier League clubs. The club’s next Premier League test is a visit to Manchester United at Old Trafford, a match they need to win to secure their first league victory of the campaign. Van Hecke's absence adds to concerns over defensive depth as Spurs also await the return of Dejan Kulusevski, while teammates Mykhailo Mudryk, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert remain sidelined.

Key facts

Jan Paul van Hecke withdrew from Tottenham training after a collision in a Nations League match against Serbia. (standard.co.uk)
Tottenham paid £52 million for van Hecke from Brighton and he has started all but one of the club's seven games this season. (standard.co.uk)
Netherlands coach Xavi Hernández said van Hecke could not touch the ball during recovery sessions, leading to his removal from the squad. (standard.co.uk)