Ledley King believes that Micky van de Ven has grown into the role of Tottenham captain and was the right choice for the job.
The Dutchman suffered a hand injury in the final stages of the Netherlands' 2-1 win against Serbia on Sunday and was feeling dizzy with the pain, which meant he could not continue, but the issue was described as "not serious" by his international boss Xavi. Van de Ven will now return to Spurs ahead of the Premier League's return and a trip to Manchester United on Saturday.
The 25-year-old centre-back was named Tottenham captain this summer after signing a bumper new deal with the club and he wore the armband through large parts of last season with Cristian Romero out injured or suspended. Van de Ven played his part in keeping Spurs in the Premier League and was handed the full-time captaincy when the Argentine left for Atletico Madrid.
The north London club now find themselves bottom of the table under Roberto De Zerbi after failing to record a win in their opening five matches of the Premier League campaign but Tottenham legend King believes it's all part of the education for the Dutchman.
"I think he's a fantastic player. His new role now is to make the players around him better. I think Micky takes care of himself. His ability to recover and put fires out is something we've seen over the last few years. That's an important element for the team," said the 45-year-old at Spurs' recent Hall of Fame event.
"So, I think the next role is to manage the group and get the best out of the group as a team. He's grown into the role. Having seen Micky on the pitch, he leads by example, for sure. I think he was the right choice to be captain."
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King was a young captain himself for the Lilywhites even though for the England international it was about his connection to the club from his youth.
"I had been at the club a long time. I think I was probably the longest-serving player, even though I was still pretty young. Of course, when you come through the academy as a local boy, I know what it's about. I've got many friends that are Tottenham fans," he explained.
"I know what it means to represent this football club. So, there were certain elements that were instilled in me from being a young kid here. There were certain things that you had to learn along the way. You tried to take things from the best captains that you'd been under. You left some things behind from certain captains as well. For me, the most important thing was to be yourself.
"You think the players see through it. Just because you've got the armband on, you can't change as an individual. It was important for me to be myself. But be a little bit more authoritative in doing that."
Van de Ven has a new defensive partner this season in Jan Paul van Hecke, although the duo know each other well from senior international duty as well as playing together as centre-backs for the Netherlands' under-21s. Van Hecke also suffered an injury during this break with the Dutch with a toe problem that prevented him from training.
King has been impressed with what he has seen so far from the former Brighton man, who scored his first goal for the club late on in the defeat to Aston Villa last month.
"I think he's a tremendous footballer. His passing range is excellent. Of course, he'll know Micky well. I think they're building up a good relationship there. I've been impressed by him," he said. "It's not easy when you're not winning games. We've kept a couple of clean sheets so far. There's plenty to build on, but it's been good."
So how do Spurs bounce back mentally after such a disappointing start to the season with their place at the foot of the table?
"No choice. You have to find a way," said King. "Most of the group have gone through difficult periods, and they managed to find a way out last season. They'll have to draw on that to a certain degree, but there is no easy way. You keep working on the training pitch, keep putting the work in. It's just a confidence thing.
"These are top players. I'm sure once the first positive result goes for the team, things can turn around very quickly. Just keep working hard, keep believing in yourself. That's the only way to do it."