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Mickey van der Penn's recovery from injury may be faster than expected.

"Tottenham's longest-serving players, van der Vaart and Ryan Sessegnon, are set to return from injury in January," Football Insider reported on Thursday. The pair are at the most advanced stages of recovery among the first-team players in Tottenham's treatment room. Van der Penn is expected to be back in action before the end of January after going down with an injury in November."

Van der Vaart was one of Tottenham's most ambitious signings this summer, and the center-back has already formed a good partnership with Cristian Romero since his arrival. The addition of van der Vaart has completely transformed Spurs' defense, which finished mid-table last season.

Van der Penn's good size (193 cm) and pace made him an integral part of Enze Postecoglou's system of maintaining a high defensive line. The €40 million base transfer fee plus €10 million in bonus clauses was money well spent.

Spurs went unbeaten in the 10 league games that van der Penn played full-time, winning eight and drawing two. Spurs leapfrogged Manchester City and Arsenal, and at one point even moved into first place.

However, van der Penn went down with a hamstring injury while defending against Chelsea in the 11th round. After complaining of excruciating pain, van der Penn was diagnosed with a partial hamstring tear. He narrowly avoided surgery, but was not expected to return to action until January.

With van der Penn sidelined and Romero out through suspension, Tottenham's defense went back to the drawing board for the 2022-23 season. After conceding four against Chelsea, they have since conceded 10 in their last five games. After conceding nine goals in 10 games when van der Vaart was healthy, Spurs have nearly doubled their conceded goals since van der Vaart's injury. It's no wonder the team's fortunes took a turn for the worse.

The good news is that van der Penn's rehabilitation is progressing well. With van der Penn back, there's a good chance that the goals will drop significantly 토토 again. At the same time, with more stability in the back line, the offense will gain momentum. Tottenham could return to their early season form.

The key will be to see how Spurs handle their schedule until mid-January, when van der Penn is expected to return. Luckily, it's not a tough schedule. They face Nottingham Forest, Everton, Brighton, Bournemouth, and Burnley. Even without Van der Penne, they should be able to rack up enough points.