Tottenham transfer target Jan Paul van Hecke has revealed he’s struggling to see properly out of his right eye after suffering a blow to the face during Holland’s World Cup opener vs Japan
Holland national team staff will assess Tottenham transfer target Jan Paul van Hecke on Monday after he suffered a nasty eye injury in Sunday’s 2-2 World Cup draw against Japan.
The 26-year-old, who started alongside Virgil van Dijk, was able to complete the full game despite suffering a kick to the face.
The issue rapidly worsened during the second half and images of Van Hecke’s eye, snapped as he greeted family and friends in the stands post-match, show the extent of the damage.
He did speak to the media after the game when he clarified what happened, stating: “He kicked me in the eye with all his might. I was heading for the ball, so I thought something might happen.
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“At some point, it definitely affected my vision. I can’t see very well on that side right now. I hope it will get a little better in a few days. I think it will swell up a bit more later, but that’s also part of the game.”
Said incident is believed to have happened during the second half, when all four of the game’s goals took place.
Holland were ahead through captain Virgil van Dijk before Keito Nakamura equalised for Samurai Blue.
West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville then steered Tottenham back ahead before Daichi Kamada’s late equaliser for Japan in Dallas.
Van Hecke was frustrated that his side threw away the lead on two separate occasions, adding: “We scored two fantastic goals, but personally, I think we dropped back a little too much. If we had kept putting pressure on the opponent, we could have made the game easier for ourselves.
“It happens naturally. A goal changes the flow of the game. When you take the lead, you start to defend it. But you have to keep defending high up the pitch. Sometimes it’s difficult, but I think we could have done better.”
Spurs are striving to wrap up a deal for Van Hecke, who is keen to move to north London and reunite with the boss that gave him his big breakthrough at Brighton in Roberto De Zerbi.
It’s not clear how much Tottenham are willing to pay but the no-nonsense defender is now quickly approaching the last year of his contract with Brighton.
While the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle have tracked Van Hecke, Tottenham are firmly in the box-seat for his signature.
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