Peter Schmeichel believes Micky Van de Ven would’ve been a perfect fit at Old Trafford had Tottenham Hotspur not scouted him first.
Amidst Tottenham’s ever-turbulent situation over the last two-and-a-half years, the defender has been an ever-present at the heart of their backline.
Van de Ven looks his best when alongside club captain Cristian Romero, though both have had to navigate their fair share of injury woes in recent seasons.
How Van de Ven has fared with Spurs
Both were available for last year’s Europa League final showdown against Manchester United, however, which culminated with them keeping a clean sheet and lifting the trophy in Bilbao following a scrappy 1-0 win for Spurs.
Remarkably, it came towards the end of a term in which the North London outfit finished 17th-placed in the Premier League, yet secured Champions League qualification via their UEL triumph.
Now, after finally putting an end to their lengthy trophyless era and swapping Ange Postecoglou for Thomas Frank in the dugout, Tottenham sit 14th-placed in the division, having failed to win any of their last six matches.
It’s prompted reports that Van de Ven could indeed be on the move in the summer to ply his trade in an all-new environment; before signing for Spurs, the 24-year-old played in his homeland with Volendam and spent two years in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg.
In August 2023, then-Daniel Levy-owned Tottenham agreed a £43 million deal to bring him to the club, shelling out an initial £34.5m to tie him down to a six-year contract.
What Schmeichel had to say about Van de Ven
From Schmeichel’s perspective, United should’ve moved to try and hijack the deal for the Dutch international.
“I think he has been a revelation. I think he is a fantastic player. He has a really, really good understanding of the game, and his speed is so valuable if you want to play offensive football,” said the former shot-stopper, as per Sport Witness.
“I sometimes think that a club like Manchester United or maybe even Liverpool should look for someone like him. Why didn’t they discover a player like him?”
Liverpool are one suitor thought to be looking to make up for missing out on Van de Ven the first time around, as they have identified him as a primary target for the summer window.
🚨 Liverpool want to sign Micky van de Ven as their long-term Virgil van Dijk replacement, according to reports 👀 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/gu8CVmtUe8
— LiveScore (@livescore) January 16, 2026
As for United, a centre-half addition will be necessary if Harry Maguire leaves upon the expiry of his contract, but they would be vying with Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and even young Ayden Heaven for minutes.