Micky van de Ven reveals what Tottenham fans keep saying to him on the street

Micky van de Ven cannot go anywhere without meeting a Tottenham Hotspur supporter who thanks the flying Dutchman for his greatest moment in a Spurs shirt.

Tottenham Hotspur have a mixed history when it comes to signing centre-backs. For every Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, there is a Davinson Sanchez and a Federico Fazio.

Spending £43m on a Wolfsburg defender with no European competition experience might have seemed like a risky move. However, Micky van de Ven has been outstanding for Tottenham and was badly missed when he struggled with injuries last season.

The blistering pace of van de Ven is one of his standout qualities and he would surely not look out of place if he started further up the pitch, but he is also a solid defender. When it comes to one-on-one duels, van de Ven can often cause attacking players to become frustrated.

Van de Ven is still receiving praise for his Europa League final heroics

Until May this year, it would have been difficult to pinpoint van de Ven’s best moment since joining Spurs. This is because he has been so consistent that it is hard to pick one specific thing he did. However, this changed towards the end of the Europa League final, when the 24-year-old kept Tottenham level when it looked certain Manchester United would score.

Since this moment, van de Ven has continued to receive the adoration of Spurs supporters wherever he goes.

He told Tottenham Hotspur: “To be honest they [Tottenham supporters] keep bringing it up. Every time when I see a Tottenham fan in the city and they walk up to me they’re like, ‘thank you so much for the clearance’ or ‘thank you so much for the trophy’ and everything.

“That’s a nice thing where everybody just keeps reminding you.”

Micky Van de Ven will be ready for his next big Tottenham challenge

Micky van de Ven has had his first taste of the Europa League and it was a roaring success. Whenever he and Cristian Romero were fit to start, there was a notable difference in the quality of the Tottenham backline.

He now has an even greater opportunity this season, as Spurs compete with Europe’s best teams in the Champions League. Tottenham have already learned their league phase opponents and finishing in a good position will be far from straightforward.

Van de Ven was part of a Tottenham defence which fell apart in the final 10 minutes of the UEFA Super Cup and he must now face PSG again, only this time it is in Paris. The clash against Borussia Dortmund will also be tough, particularly as the last time van de Ven came up against them, his Wolfsburg team were battered 6-0 in a humiliating defeat.

However, van de Ven has improved since then and will be confident in his ability to battle the best attackers in Europe.

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