‘Pure class’ – Coach says one Tottenham star ‘has no ceiling’ in football

Volendam boss Wim Jonk, who oversaw Micky van de Ven’s development as a teenager, believes that the Tottenham star does not have a ceiling and could become as good as he wants to be.

Micky Van de Ven tipped for the very top

Van de Ven has had a meteoric rise over the past two years, first coming to the spotlight during his breakthrough 2022-23 season at Wolfsburg before making a big-money move to Tottenham and hitting the ground running in the hardest league in the world.

In fact, just a year into his time with Spurs, many already consider the 23-year-old to be one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, with the Dutchman dominating some of the best strikers in the division, owing to his strength, recovery pace and composure.

Van de Ven is expected to have an important role to play for the Netherlands in the upcoming Euros and Ronald Koeman may utilise him at left-back, with the defender having operated in that position in recent friendlies.

Micky Van de Ven prepares for Netherlands campaign

Jonk, who saw the centre-back come through the ranks at Volendam, revealed that he always knew the Spurs man was destined for great things.

The 57-year-old told ESPN Netherlands: “I went to see the under-19s, not even especially for Micky. I remember him running past everyone – and as a defender, right? He showed so much courage with the ball, so much potential.

“Of course, a lot went wrong, but I thought: if we work specifically with that boy, in a few years he will not be wearing the shirt of ‘The Other Orange’, but that of the real Orange.

“We worked very specifically on his areas for improvement, but also on his weapons. The rising, the quicker response, the cross pass. He worked on the defensive aspect with Sipke Hulshoff. And don’t forget that about 5 to 10 kilos of muscle mass was added during that time.

“Defensively, he picked up every ball that fell behind the defence. Offensively, he always created a man-more situation, whether he played in the centre or on the left. I remember a goal where he came through at left-back, sprinted everyone out and sent the ball into the intersection. Pure class.

“Micky has no ceiling. Everything you need in today’s football – physical conditions, mental strength and the right mindset – he has that.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Euro 2024 will be the first of many major international tournaments for Van de Ven over his career and I expect him to dominate, just like he has done across every bigger step he has taken over the last few years.

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