Peter Schmeichel, Manchester United’s legendary goalkeeper and pundit, has heaped high praise on Micky van de Ven, admitting he cannot understand why the defender was not on the radar of Manchester United and Liverpool ahead of his move to Tottenham. The Dutchman’s positional sense is outstanding, and his pace is priceless for any side looking to play attacking football, according to Schmeichel. Meanwhile, Thomas Frank has revealed that Van de Ven is in line to return for the clash against Manchester United.
Van de Ven joined Tottenham from VfL Wolfsburg in 2023 for a fee in the region of £35 million, and is now in his third full season with the club.
The 24-year-old centre-back has made 81 appearances for Spurs across all competitions during his time in north London, and helped the club end its 17-year trophy drought last season by winning the UEFA Europa League.
Despite Tottenham’s underwhelming league campaign this term, Van de Ven has continued to earn widespread plaudits for his performances alongside Cristian Romero in Thomas Frank’s defensive unit.
However, the Dutch international was forced to sit out Tottenham’s last two matches through injury.
Although Van de Ven missed Sunday’s huge encounter against Manchester City, his importance to the side was underlined by the fact that he was one of the main talking points among the Viaplay punditry team ahead of kick-off.
In Schmeichel’s eyes, Van de Ven’s excellent reading of the game and blistering pace make him an indispensable player for Tottenham, and a key figure in the club’s future success.
“I think he’s an absolutely fantastic player,” the United legend said.
“I think his reading of the game is really, really good, and his pace is priceless for any team that wants to play attacking football.”
“When you play attacking football, you have to push higher up the pitch, which means if the ball is in the channel between the goalkeeper and the centre-back, someone has to deal with it.”
“If your centre-back is slow, it’s very difficult to play that way.”
Schmeichel admitted he is baffled that a player of Van de Ven’s quality was not targeted by top clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool before he joined Spurs.
“I think he’s a revelation,” the Dane added.
“I sometimes think about clubs like Manchester United, and even Liverpool, the reigning champions – they were all looking.”
“How could they miss this guy? He’s an absolutely top-class player.”
Tottenham face in-form Manchester United at Old Trafford next weekend, giving Van de Ven the perfect opportunity to impress his old club’s rivals.
Following Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, Frank moved to reassure fans that Van de Ven’s injury is only minor.
“Micky’s injury is not serious,” he told reporters shortly after the final whistle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“I fully expect him to be available for the Manchester United game. It’s a shame he couldn’t make it for this one.”
Asked about the injury to Kevin Danso, Frank explained: “In the game against Eintracht Frankfurt, he landed on an opponent’s foot, which caused his big toe to hyperextend.”
“That resulted in a ruptured ligament in the big toe. It’s really bad luck.”
“We don’t know how long he’ll be out yet, but we’ll have him scanned next week to assess the full extent. Jed Spence has a minor calf injury, and I’m hopeful he won’t be sidelined for long.”
There had also been concern over Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, who was substituted at half-time against Manchester City, but the Argentina international confirmed after the game that he is “fine”.