‘I’ve never seen that’ – Micky Van de Ven’s former Youth Director explains what surprised him most

FC Volendam’s director of youth department, Ruben Jongkind, has admitted that the Dutch club always knew Micky van de Ven was a special talent.

Van de Ven has had a meteoric rise, with the centre-back plying his trade in the Dutch second tier for Volendam just a little over two years ago.

Some eyebrows might have been raised when Tottenham paid £43m to sign the 22-year-old from Wolfsburg in the summer, given that the defender was coming into the Premier League with just one season of regular Bundesliga football under his belt.

However, the transfer has proved to be an inspired move by the North London club, with Van de Ven having settled seamlessly into life at Spurs, and having formed a formidable partnership with Cristian Romero at the back.

The centre-back won his first two caps for the Netherlands during the international break and looks set for a prolonged career at the highest level.

Tottenham have a real gem in Micky Van de Ven

Jongkind has now revealed that Volendam turned down some low offers for the player before eventually selling to Wolfsburg.

He told iNews about Van de Ven: “This is world-class potential so don’t come with €1.5m when [Alessandro] Bastoni who probably has less talent already went for €31m.

“His athletic ability and speed, I’ve never seen that for a centre-back or defender. He was so fast and the engine was so big but the wheels needed to also be strong.”

Jongkind revealed that it was Van de Ven’s mental strength that set him apart from other young players in the Volendam academy.

He added: “He has explained many times that he felt like s*** in the academy, it was really bad. But still, he hung on. He has a very strong mental ability and will to win, to persevere and to keep on going.

“What sets him apart is his ability to adapt to a higher level of competition. You are a true super talent when you can continually reinvent yourself and become better.”

Spurs Web Opinion

All the early signs are that we have a generational talent on our hands as Van de Ven appears to have all the attributes needed to evolve into a world-class modern-day centre-back.