Ange Postecoglou facing big Tottenham selection decisions as injured players return | OneFootball

Spurs options look increasingly promising in a number of positions after months of selection crises

Boost: Tottenham’s long injury list is finally clearing for Ange Postecoglou

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Pep Guardiola is often magnanimous in victory, so his effusive praise for Tottenham after Manchester City's 1-0 win in north London last week was entirely on-brand.

Now Spurs' injury list is clearing, it is true that Postecoglou's options look increasingly promising in a number of positions (even if Guardiola must have been delighted that Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Djed Spence were left on the bench last week).

Mikey Moore, for example, has established himself as an important part of the Spurs squad this season but, assuming he was fully fit, the 17-year-old winger could not make it onto a bench that included Son, Kulusevski, Timo Werner and Dane Scarlett against the champions.

When Dominic Solanke and Richarlison return to fitness, which should be imminent in the case of the former, it is hard to imagine the on-loan Werner or Scarlett regularly making the matchday squad, either.

With a fully-fit squad, Postecoglou is going to be particularly well-stocked at left wing, where Son, Wilson Odobert, January signing Mathys Tel, Moore and Werner are all most comfortable, while Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson are specialists on the opposite flank.

Dominic Solanke is closing in on a return to fitness following a knee injury

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At the back, Archie Gray has just been named young player of the year at the London Football Awards for his performances while filling in at centre-back this season and the 18-year-old caught the eye again against City.

Gray wants to play in midfield long-term which is just as well because when everyone is fit he is likely to be Spurs' sixth-choice in the heart of defence after January signing Kevin Danso, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin, who is out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.

Postecoglou expects Van de Ven and Romero to finally be ready to return by late this week, at the latest, so the head coach is set to have some tough decisions ahead.

Gray and Davies can also offer cover at full-back, where Spence, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are now in fierce competition for two places.

In midfield, too, there is relatively little to choose between Postecoglou's options. Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have started the last four games but Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are pushing for their places. And many fans are desperate to see what Gray can do in his natural position.

Micky van de Ven is finally set to be ready to return by late this week

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James Maddison and Kulusevski offer Postecoglou two different and compelling options in attacking midfield, and have even played together as twin No8s.

Finally, in goal, Antonin Kinsky is an exciting understudy to Guglielmo Vicario, while Brandon Austin has looked solid when called upon.

Postecoglou does not have the best XI in the Premier League but he surely has more depth than any Spurs head coach of the modern era, and perhaps as much competition for places (when everyone is fit, of course) as any of his top-flight counterparts.

The Australian has repeatedly called for Premier League clubs to be allowed bigger squads and warned that Spurs' rivals will start to suffer from the type of injury crisis which decimated his group over the winter, so he will be pleased to find himself with some positive selection headaches.

The potential problem for Spurs and Postecoglou, however, is that the club's chances of returning to Europe next season now appear to rest on winning the Europa League after the City defeat left them 10 points behind Brighton in eighth place.

Spurs' encouraging depth would be hugely beneficial if they are competing in the Champions League as Europa League winners next season, but without European football, having so many similar options could become a squad management issue for Postecoglou, only increasing the importance of Europe to the club's short-term future.