Thomas Frank has heaped praise on Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven and outlined six areas where the central defender thrives the most.
Micky van de Ven has made a strong start to the season at Tottenham Hotspur, and his presence was missed on Wednesday as Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup.
The Netherlands international is the club’s top scorer, finding the net five times in all competitions. He has clearly earned the trust of Thomas Frank, who has awarded him the captain’s armband four times already this season.
van de Ven is attracting interest from clubs across Europe due to his excellent performances, and Spurs have placed an £88m price tag on the 24-year-old to ward them off.
Thomas Frank lists Micky van de Ven’s key attributes at Tottenham
Frank believes the limit to van de Ven’s potential is unknown at this point, and he is hopeful the centre-back will keep improving at Tottenham.
When asked if van de Ven can become the best defender in the world, Frank replied: “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.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“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.”
Spurs have no real replacement on the left side of defence
Spurs suffered a 2-0 midweek defeat to Newcastle United and there was a clear dip in the quality of their defence with van de Ven left on the bench.
An £87.8m transfer fee might be a large sum of money, but there is no guarantee Tottenham would find a replacement who offers what the Dutchman does. Tying him down to a new contract ought to be a priority.