Micky van de Ven has revealed that he has bulked up considerably since making the switch from Wolfsburg to Tottenham Hotspur last summer.
On the evidence of van de Ven’s first season at N17, the centre-back looks made for Premier League football and more specifically for Ange Postecoglou’s system.
His blistering recovery pace allows Tottenham to play a high defensive line without worrying about being caught out with balls over the top of their backline while his composure and technical quality on the ball aid the side in playing out from the back.
The 23-year-old’s partnership with Cristian Romero has all the makings of a potentially legendary pairing which could dominate for many years to come.
Micky Van de Ven is packing on the muscle at Spurs
The Dutchman has now revealed that since moving to England, he has also become physically much stronger, insisting that he has put on 5 kgs of muscle.
Van de Ven told De Telegraaf: “While growing up, I had a lot of problems with my knees because I became a long lanky person. When I had to turn, I looked like a tractor.
“But by training a lot, the speed came back. In recent years I have become physically ‘bigger’. In England, we spend an incredible amount of time in the gym, which means I already gained five kilos of muscle strength one year at Spurs.”
The centre-back back also admitted that he is thoroughly enjoying his football under Postecoglou.
He said about the Tottenham boss: “I like the way Postecoglou thinks about football, his vision. We play from the back and as a central defender, I like to get on the ball a lot. That we have a lot of space at the back is not a problem with my speed.”
Spurs Web Opinion
5kg is quite a lot of muscle to put on in one year and it is impressive that it has seemingly not lowered van de Ven’s top speed.
There is always a slightly increased risk of injuries when players bulk up but I am sure that Tottenham’s sports science department will be keeping a close eye on the defender’s metrics.