Tottenham Hotspur have been told they "can easily" secure a move for one "complete" Micky van de Ven replacement, if they decide to do so.

Van de Ven facing long-term Spurs absence

Spurs' early-season unbeaten streak came to an unceremonious end on Monday with a 4-1 defeat at home to London rivals Chelsea. Ange Postecoglou maintained a bold high press for the second half of the match despite being down to nine men, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie being shown red cards in what was a thrilling encounter for the neutral.

However, while their first defeat of the Premier League season was a sore one to take, the biggest blow by some way for Spurs were injuries to both defender van de Ven and star playmaker James Maddison.

Maddison took a knock to the ankle, but van de Ven barely managed to hobble off the pitch. The Dutch defender needed assistance as he limped to the sidelines clutching his hamstring, with Postecoglou later describing the injury as a "significant" one.

"It's too early but looking at Micky you're thinking it's a pretty significant one so you'd assume he'll be out for a little while." said Postecoglou on Maddison and van de Ven. "Madders got a knock on the ankle and we'll just have to assess him and see how it is."

Depending on the severity of his hamstring problem, the 22-year-old faces being on the treatment table for a fairly extended period. This comes as a major blow to Postecoglou, who had been watching van de Ven and Cristian Romero form an excellent partnership at the heart of Spurs' defence.

As a result, it has been reported that Tottenham will prioritise a new left-footed centre-back in the January transfer window.

Struijk "can easily join the defence" of Spurs

After van de Ven's blow, journalist Suleyman Ozturk has claimed that Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk could slot in seemlessly and come as the ideal replacement.

Speaking to Voetbal Zone, as translated and shared by Sport Witness, Ozturk said that Struijk "can easily" join Spurs as an option if they decide to go there – going on to give his verdict on the "complete" centre-half.

“He was very strong throughout the match, but also really decisive. I also thought it was very good in the build-up from behind,” he said on the Whites star after a recent Leeds match.

“He is a complete and mature defender. Now that Micky van de Ven has been injured, I would like to give Ange Postecoglou some advice: Struijk can easily join the defence of Tottenham Hotspur.

“That boy really plays at too low a level. I can well imagine that a big club will come for him in January. He really is the best defender in the Championship at the moment.

“I think he will make that step, because getting into the Dutch selection from the second level is difficult. I really think he’s great.”

Spurs have been linked with Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth as one option, while Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah has also been tipped to join Tottenham.