Tottenham fans will be pleased to hear that Micky van de Ven is taking pre-emptive action to ensure that he does not get injured this season like he did during his first year in the Premier League.
Van de Ven makes Tottenham tick
Van de Ven’s importance to this Spurs side cannot be overstated as the Dutchman’s recovery pace allows Ange Postecoglou’s men to push higher up the pitch and execute their pressing game more effectively.
When the 23-year-old was out injured against Newcastle, Tottenham looked extremely susceptible to through balls in behind.
Postecoglou has already spoken about the importance of keeping the Dutchman sharp for the crucial part of the season rather than running him into the ground (The Standard).
Van de Ven taking precautionary steps
Van de Ven suffered multiple hamstring injuries last season, which saw him miss a total of 16 matches across two different spells on the sidelines.
This has been a recurring problem for the defender, who also missed 14 games for club and country in 2021/22 at Wolfsburg due to a hamstring problem.
The Tottenham man has revealed that he is now doing targeted work to strengthen his hamstrings to ensure that the injuries do not reoccur.
Van de Ven told Via Play: “Your body gets used to it (Premier League intensity) But of course, you still have to find the right balance. So of course, what’s best for your body and your recovery, those are really important things. So of course you have to find your balance.
“But as you say, the more games you play, the more you will find your balance in that. I think my hamstring is something with my explosiveness that I really have to work on. And I’m definitely still working on that every day.
“So, it’s important that I don’t get another hamstring injury. Because my biggest issues were two injuries, and those were both hamstrings. Those are points of attention for me.
“(I do) very targeted exercises. Yes, keep training on those hamstrings. Of course, around it is also very important. But I still train specifically on those hamstrings.”
Double-edged squad
It is very rare to see such a physically imposing man have such acceleration as Van de Ven does and it is the explosiveness of those hamstrings that provides that thrust.
Unfortunately, it is a double-edged sword as that type of extremely mechanical tension can cause sudden tears as we saw last season.
Hopefully, the sports science team and the fitness coaches at Spurs have identified what needs to be done to prevent the chances of the injury returning.