Former Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has been full of praise of Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven.
Van de Ven joined Spurs from VFL Wolfsburg in the summer in a deal worth £43million (€50m), including add-ons (Athletic) and quickly established himself as one of the main players under Ange Postecoglou’s new-look side.
The Dutch centre-back suffered an injury against Chelsea. While van de Ven reportedly does not require surgery on his hamstring issue, he is still expected to be out of action until at least January (The Telegraph).
The defender recently hinted that he is already working hard to return to full fitness as soon as possible with a cryptic social media post. The 22-year-old posted an image of himself on Instagram stories, along with a sandclock emoji.
Football. London’s Alasdair Gold however quicky quashed any excitement which Spurs fans may have held over a return sooner than expected after the journalist stating that nothing has changed with respect to the defender’s recovery time.
Schwarzer praises ‘absolutely brilliant’ Micky van de Ven
Speaking on The Optus Sport Football Podcast, pundit Mark Schwarzer was having a discussion with Thomas Sorensen on the Premier League team of the Season and here is what he had to say about Micky van de Ven
He said: “I’m going to pick my one now, another defender. I’m going to say, another Spurs player, Micky Van de Ven. Well we’re unanimous, that’s absolutely brilliant, because I think he’s been absolutely brilliant and a big, big loss for Spurs and by the sounds of things he’s out for a considerable time which is a real shame as he’s been absolutely awesome so far.”
Our View
With his recovery pace, Micky van de Ven has been crucial to Ange Postecoglou’s desire to play a high line at Spurs. His injury now throws a spanner in the works since his replacement, Eric Dier is nowhere close in terms of pace to cover the same amount of ground.
A hamstring tear could hamper the Dutch international’s ability to sprint like before but considering he is just 22, Van de Ven should be able to return to full fitness. We hope he is back soon.