Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has been hailed by former coach Ruben Jongkind having shown his pace from a young age.
Micky van de Ven has been hailed by his former coaches after a strong start with Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs were back in the market for a left-footed centre back over the summer with Clement Lenglet merely a stop-gap.
Tottenham ended up going for Van de Ven, striking a deal worth up to £43million for the Dutch international defender.
Van de Ven has made a strong start to Premier League life, forming a superb centre back partnership with Cristian Romero.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven praised by former coach
The belief is that Tottenham have now found their left-sided centre back for years to come with Van de Ven still having plenty of potential.
Van de Ven has been a top talent for a long time, with his former coaches now praising him.
iNews have spoken to FC Volendam coach Ruben Jongkind and WSV 1930’s Piet Pas, who have both hailed Van de Ven.
One of the most impressive things about Van de Ven is his incredible speed for a 6ft 4in centre back.
Jongkind and Pas have now indicated that Van de Ven’s pace has been unbelievable for a long time now, noting that his speed is ‘remarkable’ and has never been seen in a defender before.
“His athletic ability and speed, I’ve never seen that for a centre-back or defender,” said Jongkind.
“At a young age his remarkable speed on the field and powerful shot didn’t go unnoticed,” added Pas.
Spurs were chasing Van de Ven in the summer, but there were fears that he could end up with a Premier League rival.
The London Evening Standard reported in July that Spurs feared a Liverpool hijack attempt for Van de Ven.
The Reds don’t have a natural left-footed centre back and had been linked with a move for the Dutchman.
Jorg Schmadtke – the man who signed Van de Ven for Wolfsburg – took over control of Liverpool’s transfer business this past summer, so that only added to the Liverpool rumours.
Tottenham got the deal done though and should now see Van de Ven play a vital role in Ange Postecoglou’s back four for years to come.
Van de Ven will, of course, need to keep developing and showing off that pace, but Spurs fans are right to be excited about him right now.
