Mido has admitted that he was not completely convinced when Tottenham Hotspur signed Micky van de Ven in the summer but he has been thoroughly impressed by the centre-back’s displays so far.
In recent history, the Premier League has been the toughest league for centre-backs to adapt to, with many taking their time to get adjusted to the physicality and speed of the division.
However, despite being just 22 years of age and having had just one full season in the Bundesliga, Van de Ven has seamlessly adapted to the demands of English football.
In fact, the Dutchman even looks like the senior member of the duo alongside Crisitan Romero at times, exuding calmness and always appearing to make the right decisions under pressure.
LUTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 07: Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with teammate James Maddison after scoring the team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur at Kenilworth Road on October 07, 2023 in Luton, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Micky Van de Ven is proving people wrong at Spurs
Mido revealed that he had his doubts over the Netherlands Under-21 international’s ability to cope with the forwards in the Premier League, but admitted that the Spurs newcomer has proved him wrong.
The former Tottenham striker told talkSPORT (9/10 8:57am): “I’ll be honest when I first saw [Micky] Van de Ven with his movement I was a bit worried, to be honest.
“I understand the idea of Ange [Postecoglou] that he wants a left-footed centre-back to start from the back and to have a better angle to see the whole of the pitch playing the ball between the lines and the diagonals.
“But defensively, I was really worried that this guy would struggle in the Premier League. I know in the Premier League that you always play against big guys up front and the likes of [Erling] Haaland and [Ivan] Toney, all the big guys, it’s very difficult to defend.
“It’s not like the Dutch league, it’s different, it could be a shock for him. But to be honest to the lad, he’s been brilliant.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is fair to say that most Spurs fans would have preferred Tapsoba to Van de Ven in the summer.
However, on the back of the start that the Dutchman has made, I doubt Tottenham supporters would swap the 22-year-old with any other left-sided centre-back in the world, including the likes of Bastoni and Gvardiol.
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