Gary Neville says Micky van de Ven is a much better player than some people think when they watch him for the first time.
Van de Ven was a relative unknown to Premier League fans when he arrived at Spurs in the summer and some eyebrows would have been raised when the North London club paid £43m for the defender on the back of just one good season in the Bundesliga.
However, the decision has proven to be a masterstroke by Tottenham, with the Dutchman settling in seamlessly into Premier League football and looking like someone who has 100 matches in the competition under his belt.
The 22-year-old has formed a formidable partnership with Cristian Romero and shown his quality on the ball, but what stands out about him is undoubtedly his electric pace and tremendous acceleration, which one would not expect for a player of his size.
(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Micky Van de Ven is proving doubters wrong at Spurs
Neville said that he thought Van de Ven looked a little robotic the first time he saw him but admitted that the defender is much more mobile than he initially seemed.
The former Man Utd defender told Sky Sports (29/10/23): “Van de Ven when I watched him in that game, and I saw him live against (Manchester United), and I think we commented after. He looked really stiff, he looked quite robotic a little bit on the turn.
“But then you watch him since, and you think, he is quick, he is a really good defender, he is a lot better than you think.”
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What is particularly deceptive about Van de Ven is that he does not look like he is pushing hard when he is sprinting but just seems to gather pace as he starts gliding across the grass. Quite a few strikers have already been caught by surprise when the Dutchman turns on his afterburners.
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