Japhet Tanganga has admitted that he has been left surprised by just how quick Micky van de Ven is, revealing that he did not get a chance to train with the Dutchman much at Tottenham during pre-season.
While Van de Ven had arrived at the club last summer with a reputation for being rather quick, it is fair to say that most Spurs fans have been surprised by just how rapid the 22-year-old is.
The burst of acceleration that the centre-back produces time and again is very uncommon with someone with such an imposing physical frame.
In fact, the former Wolfsburg man even recently beat Kyle Walker’s record to post the fastest speed ever recorded in Premier League history (Sky Sports).
Apart from his pace, Van de Ven is also supremely gifted on the ball, invoking comparisons with Jan Vertonghen, and he has proven a calming influence on the Tottenham backline.
Micky Van de Ven has a reputation back in Germany
Tanganga revealed that it is not just the Spurs players who speak highly of the Netherlands international but also his former Augsburg teammates, who came against the centre-back in the Bundesliga.
When it was put the 24-year-old defender, who is currently on loan at Millwall, that Van de Ven had broken the aforementioned Premier League record, he told Sky Sports: “I didn’t know he was that quick. When I was there, I was going through my rehab so I didn’t see him train.
“Obviously, I spoke to some of the boys who I know and still speak to now, and I’ve seen the games and I’ve asked how quick is he? And they say he’s pretty quick.
“But I think everyone can see his quality and how good a centre-back he is as well. In Germany, they spoke about him, in Augsburg, saying how good he was.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Tottenham’s recruitment team and Postecoglou deserve a lot of credit for spotting that Van de Ven had the attributes to thrive in the Premier League.
His signing was not particularly popular among Spurs fans last summer, with many questioning why the club did not pay up for Edmond Tapsoba at the time. However, his impact has been such that I doubt if most supporters would now swap the Dutchman for any centre-back in the world right now.