Thomas Frank will have just seen one of his new Tottenham Hotspur players impressing for his national team in a new position.
Frank and Tottenham have agreed terms for the Danish coach to become the next manager of the North London club, replacing Ange Postecoglou, who Daniel Levy sacked.
The 51-year-old faces the task of helping Spurs to climb the Premier League table following a dismal league campaign in which the team finished 17th.
Thomas Frank will certainly be buoyed by the fact that he is inheriting a very talented squad, and the performance of one player in particular will have caught his eye.
Thomas Frank needs to consider playing Micky van de Ven at left-back
Micky van de Ven produced an impressive display for the Netherlands, playing as a left-back in their 8-0 win over Malta in World Cup qualifying.
Playing on the left side of Ronald Koeman’s defence, Van de Ven scored and assisted, with the Dutch media hailing his position change as ‘very positive’.
There have been suggestions that Van de Ven could go backwards under Frank, as the Dane is expected to line Tottenham Hotspur up playing a deeper line.
Under Postecoglou, Van de Ven’s recovery speed made him such an important player as he was able to catch most attackers who found a route behind Spurs’ defence.
However, the 24-year-old has just shown that he could now be an option as a full-back, as he is such a good carrier of the ball, even as a centre-back.
Van de Ven playing as a left back would give Frank the option of switching to a back three in-game, with most likely Pedro Porro on the other side being given the licence to attack down the right.
The Dutch international remains such a good defender so it’s an experiment which seems unlikely at this stage, but food for thought for the new Tottenham boss.
The North London club have been rather open at times with both Porro and Destiny Udogie playing together, therefore, Van de Ven at left-back could make them a bit better protected.
What Micky van de Ven said about Tottenham and Thomas Frank rumours
After the match, Van de Ven spoke about Postecoglou’s sacking and questioned the club’s decision to get rid of a manager who had just won a trophy.
The defender has also heard that Frank will ‘probably’ be appointed as the man to replace him, but ultimately, he is disappointed about the Australian being sacked.
Van de Ven told the media: “It is a choice from the club about which we have little to say, so we will see what happens now.
“Of course, we see some rumours about the coach of Brentford, who it will probably be. So yes, a choice from the club about which we have little to say.”