Micky van de Ven lifts lid on Virgil van Dijk relationship after Liverpool links and friend's dig

Micky van de Ven said that he has a "good relationship" with Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, who is his defensive partner at international level with the Netherlands.

Van de Ven emerged as Ronald Koeman's preferred partner for Van Dijk during the Netherlands' World Cup qualifying campaign this year, keeping the likes of Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Ligt out of the team.

Meanwhile, at club level, the 24-year-old has been hugely impressive since joining Tottenham in 2023, establishing himself as one of the Premier League's top center-backs.

His form for Spurs has led to links with a move away, with a move to Anfield tentatively mooted by some outlets, but the reality is it would take a huge amount of money to prise him away from the North London club.

Still, Liverpool fans will no doubt enjoy hearing just how much Van de Ven enjoys playing alongside the Reds captain.

"It is a good relationship," Van de Ven told Sky Sports. "I speak with him a lot, on and off the pitch. Everybody can see that he is an unbelievable defender

"It is good to play next to him because you know what he can bring to the game and that you can trust him. We have a good relationship."

Meanwhile, Van de Ven revealed how he was ribbed by one of his good friends when he took the decision to join Tottenham from German club Wolfsburg two and a half years ago due to the club's lack of silverware over the previous 15 years.

“My best friend is a Liverpool fan so he was on me straight away," Van de Ven said. "He said you are going to join Tottenham but you’re never going to win a trophy. I said to him straight away ‘No, I’m going to change that. I’m going to be part of the change of philosophy at Spurs’.

“He was like ‘that’s what everyone says’ and I was like ‘I’m gonna make sure it’s going to happen’. To be honest, he was there at the [Europa League] final and he was so happy for me as well that we won the trophy. I knew it was going to happen when I joined Spurs because they make so many memes about Spurs. It’s unbelievable!”

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