Thomas Frank has defender Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven following the challenge that injured Liverpool striker Alexander Isak last weekend.
Isak sustained a fractured fibula following a challenge from Van de Ven, as the Dutch centre-back attempted to block the forward’s goal-bound effort. The former has since undergone surgery and is facing several months on the sidelines.
On Tuesday, Liverpool boss Arne Slot was critical of Van de Ven’s challenge. He called the tackle ‘reckless’ and insisted there was always a high chance of injury.
Speaking ahead of Tottenham’s fixture with Crystal Palace on Sunday, Frank defended Van de Ven and insisted there was no malice in the incident.
“So it’s a transition. So he’s sprinting back in. There’s a ball slid down the side and he does everything he can to see if he can block that shot. So he’s sliding. Unfortunately, Isak plants his foot straight there and that makes it look worse than it is. I think that would be a natural reaction for any defender.
“I’ll put it this way: if my defenders don’t do that, then I don’t think they are true defenders. So I don’t see that at all. Normally, you haven’t seen any reckless challenges from Micky. As I remember it, he’s a very fair and competitive player.
“So that’s one thing. The other thing, you also know that the two players have sorted it out. They have spoken. So that’s a good sign of how they sorted it out.”
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