Micky van de Ven has been speaking about his early moments at Tottenham Hotspur and the Ange Postecoglou decision, which shocked him.
The former Spurs boss was sacked back in June, but is set for a swift return to Premier League action with Nottingham Forest.
TBR Football exclusively revealed on Tuesday morning that Postecoglou was ready to accept Forest’s offer to replace Nuno Espirito Santo.
One of Postecoglou’s best signings during his time in North London, Micky van de Ven, has opened up on his time under the Australian manager.
Micky van de Ven on his Tottenham debut under Ange Postecoglou
Van de Ven has admitted that Ange Postecoglou shocked him when he thrust him straight into Tottenham Hotspur’s line-up against Brentford just days after signing.
Tottenham signed Van de Ven for £34m back in August 2023, and he has proved to be an exceptional addition for the Lilywhites.
The Dutch defender had two or three days of training at Hotspur Way before making his first Premier League start.
The 24-year-old said it came as a surprise to him that Postecoglou was so willing to put him in the team so soon after his arrival.
Van de Ven told SpursOfficial: “I think when I joined, we played Brentford at the weekend for the first Premier League game, I’ve been training two/three days, and the gaffer put me straight into the 11.
“Even I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect this’ he just threw me straight away into the team. I just needed to adapt straight away, and my teammates and everyone at the club welcomed me with open arms, saying, ‘You’re one of us now’.”
Van de Ven quickly clicked at Tottenham and produced a strong performance against the Bees in his Premier League opener, despite the team being held to a 2-2 draw.
Micky van de Ven has been so impressed by Thomas Frank
Van de Ven says he has been blown away by Thomas Frank’s attention to detail in training and his passion for the sport.
The former Bundesliga star claims that the coach has quickly got his ideas across to the group and he already has a great respect from the squad.
Van de Ven said: “You can really see he lives the game, he loves it, every time he speaks about it, he’s on everything.
“Even in pre-season, his vision of football and plan, his tactical play in training, you have to do the drill every time, over and over and over, every day, every second he is on it.
“Even at this point, everybody knows what the gaffer expects and everybody just does it, I have the feeling that he has his way of playing and he’s translated quite quickly to the group.”