Micky van de Ven has shed light on what his role is as a senior man in the squad after signing a new long-term contract with Tottenham Hotspur.
Van de Ven has committed himself to the ongoing project at Spurs, following Pedro Porro and Ben Davies to become the third player to sign a new deal at the North London club this summer.
Reports indicate that the Dutchman was considering his future at Tottenham before De Zerbi walked through the door, with the Italian playing a key role in convincing the defender to sign a new deal.
The Spurs boss has said he wants Van de Ven to play with personality and control things from the back, and the centre-back has now made an interesting admission about his current role at the club.
Micky van de Ven admits he has become a ‘man’ at Tottenham
The defender arrived at Spurs as an impressionable young man back in 2023, which almost feels like a lifetime ago, with Van de Ven experiencing many highs and lows over the last three years.
The Dutchman confessed that his experiences since his move from Wolfsburg have helped him mature from a boy into a man.
When asked about his journey at the club so far, Van de Ven told Tottenham’s official website: “No. Obviously, when you come from a different club, you just hope you settle in well at a big club like Spurs and in the Premier League. But it went quite quickly, and I played a lot of games from day one.
“Since then, I just have a special relationship with the club. I think I was more like a young boy when I came in, not really experienced in life. Obviously, I lived by myself for two years, but not really experienced, and I think that’s totally different now. I’m more like a man, I would say.”
Van de Ven admits he is now ‘a leader’ at Spurs
Spurs will soon appoint a new captain, with Cristian Romero edging closer to a move to Atletico Madrid.
While some sources have said that James Maddison will be announced as the Tottenham captain, many on social media have speculated that Van de Ven could be the man to get the armband.
When asked if he now considers himself a leader, the 25-year-old said: “Yeah, more a leader than I was, for sure.”
When asked how that transformation has happened, Van de Ven responded: “I think also how you feel on the team, like feeling safe, feeling good around the boys, have the trust in myself that I can show the guys and that the guys will listen to me and I will also listen to the guys. So, yeah, that’s something that builds day by day. Obviously, how you feel between the team and in the group.”