Micky van de Ven was the hero for Tottenham Hotspur at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Gary Neville has been singing his praises.
Tottenham Hotspur are the first team to win away at Everton’s new stadium as they defeated the Toffees 3-0 to move up into third place in the Premier League.
A first-half brace from Micky van de Ven allowed Spurs to get a real grip on the clash before Pape Matar Sarr later sealed the win in the closing stages.
After the game, Gary Neville spoke about the ‘great’ Van de Ven and the big improvements which he has made to his game this season.
Gary Neville hails Micky van de Ven’s goal-scoring record
Van de Ven has taken his game to the next level by adding a threat from set-pieces to his arsenal, suggests Neville.
The 24-year-old has five goals in 13 games across all competitions for Thomas Frank’s team this season, making him the team’s leading goal scorer so far.
Van de Ven’s importance to Tottenham is clear and has only increased with the defender adding goals to his game.
Speaking about the Dutch defender, Neville told the Gary Neville Podcast: “He’s always looked great, Van de Ven. You just look at him with that left foot and the way he strides forward and his presence.
“But you know, five goals from set pieces, you start to add that to your game as well, and Danso did well alongside him.”
Currently, as TBR Football exclusively revealed, Vinai Venkatesham is prioritising Van de Ven’s new contract to reward him for his superb performances.
Romero has already signed a new deal, so if Spurs can get Van de Ven locked down too, their defence will be set for quite some time.
Troy Deeney admits Micky van de Ven and Tottenham surprised him vs Everton
Meanwhile, Troy Deeney has admitted that Tottenham surprised him against Everton by going away to Merseyside and winning.
The former Premier League striker has named the Spurs star in his Team of the Week, picking him ahead of Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes.
Deeney told BBC Sport: “Any centre-half who keeps a clean sheet and gets two goals has to go in the team for me.
“I wanted to put Gabriel in, but I just thought Van de Ven’s performance was very good in a game where I thought Spurs could struggle. They’ve been poor the last couple of weeks, and it’s a huge win for them as well.”