Former Tottenham right-back Stephen Kelly has revealed that he was in disbelief watching the kind of recovery runs that Micky van de Ven was making against Everton.
Despite being out injured for almost three months, Van de Ven has looked like he has never been away since returning to the starting eleven.
While the Dutchman’s strength and his technical quality on the ball make him a formidable opponent for any Premier League striker, what perhaps sets him apart from other centre-backs is his unbelievable turn of pace.
That was in evidence again at Goodison Park, with the 22-year-old turning on the after-burners every single time an Everton player got in behind the Tottenham backline, thus allowing Ange Postecoglou’s men to play a high-line even though the home side were looking to go direct.
Micky Van de Ven is having a debut PL season to remember
While it proved a disappointing afternoon for Spurs, with the Toffees equalising in stoppage time to deny the away side two points, Kelly lavished praise on Van de Ven for his performance.
The pundit told The 2 Robbies podcast about the centre-back: “I think it was Jon Champion who called him the Flying Dutchman. His speed, my jaw opened when I watch him make recovery runs. He has the ability to play offside and if the play goes on, he can sprint back anyway. So I love watching him.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Against both Brentford and Everton, our defensive line was noticeably much higher than it had been for the past couple of months. That is what Van de Ven’s availability allows Ange to do as the Dutchman has the pace to catch up with forwards even if they beat the offside trap.