Ange Postecoglou adds two Tottenham players to Europa League squad for Roma tie with nine absent
by Rob Guest · football.londonTottenham have added academy duo Maeson King and Malachi Hardy to their Europa League squad ahead of Thursday evening's showdown against Roma. Ange Postecoglou's side are currently short on numbers with a host of first-team regulars currently missing through injury.
Guglielmo Vicario has this week joined Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison in the treatment room after undergoing surgery for a fracture of his right ankle. Mikey Moore remains out due to a virus and fellow youngster Will Lankshear is unavailable after his red card last time out against Galatasaray.
Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are also not available for selection after missing out on Tottenham's 25-man squad that was named at the beginning of September. Due to the amount of absences at present, Postecoglou is likely to have a handful of the club's talented youngsters on the substitutes' bench.
Defensive duo King and Hardy could well be options from the bench after they were added to Tottenham's European squad ahead of the Roma game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In addition to the 25-man squad, clubs involved in UEFA competition also have a B list which increases the options available to a manager on a game day.
Club-trained players who were born on or after January 1, 2003 are allowed to be considered for selection but they must have been with Tottenham for an uninterrupted period of a minimum of two years to be eligible. Europa League participants are allowed to register an unlimited amount of players on the B list during the campaign, with the necessary paperwork having to be completed no later than midnight (CET) on the day before a game.
With numbers rather light at present due to the absences, King and Hardy have been added to the B list. King, who travelled with the first team as 21st man for the Manchester City fixture, will provide cover at left-back and centre-back for Spurs, with 16-year-old Hardy potentially in the matchday squad for the second successive game after taking his place in the 20-man matchday party for the 4-0 triumph over City.
Spurs have so far added a number of academy players to their B list since starting their Europa League campaign against Qarabag in September. Luca Gunter, Alfie Dorrington, Dante Cassanova, Tyrese Hall, Callum Olusesi, Oyindamola Ajayi, Luca Williams-Barnett, Moore and Lankshear are all on Tottenham's B list as things stand, with King and Hardy the latest players to join them on there.
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