Micky van de Ven continues to improve under Thomas Frank and the Tottenham Hotspur manager has now been talking about the Dutch defender’s exciting potential.
Micky van de Ven netted an impressive brace against Everton over the weekend to set Spurs on their way to a huge win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The 24-year-old is quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s best defenders, but there are now questions as to whether he can become the best.
Gary Neville hailed Van de Ven after the win on Merseyside, and now his manager has been speaking about just how good he can become.
Thomas Frank on Micky van de Ven’s attributes
Thomas Frank is hopeful that Van de Ven can become the best defender in the world at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Danish coach is excited by many of the 24-year-old’s attributes, and he is eager to help improve him as a player even further.
When asked whether he can become the best defender in the world, Frank told the media: “Oh, that’s a big question… Hopefully! I think the beauty of potential is that you don’t know what the ceiling is.
“My biggest job, together with the coaching staff and all the staff, is to maximise potential at the club, in the team, in every individual player, every staff member.
“One of them is a very good central defender in Micky. I think Micky’s got a lot of good attributes. A fantastic left foot, composed, can pass it short, long, can drive with the ball, and can defend well.
“Now he’s taking the steps up on set pieces, both boxes, and leadership. So, to add to the next level is about consistency, game in, game out, but he’s in a good place.
Van de Ven, who cost Tottenham £43m, is without doubt one of the team’s most important players, and the club are keen to reward him.
TBR Football understands that Tottenham are offering Van de Ven a new contract to fend off interest from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Micky van de Ven compared to Van Dijk, Gabriel and Saliba
However, the data shows that Van de Ven still has a fair amount of work to catch the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
The Arsenal duo and Liverpool’s captain lead the Dutch international in each area, showing he still has much to improve.
But regardless of what the data is showing, it’s clear for all to see that Van de Ven is still one of the league’s best, given his speed and ability to score from set pieces.
Since moving to Spurs, one of the concerns about him was his ability in the air, but that has certainly improved with his five goals.