Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he’s been left shocked by the pace of the Premier League after his arrival in the summer.
The defender has been speaking to Viaplay in the Netherlands regarding his early days at Tottenham after a move this summer.
He arrived to bolster Spurs backline this summer in a €40m move from Wolfsburg in earlier this month following months of speculation about his future.
The move to Tottenham and the Premier League is undeniably a big one for the 22-year-old, who has so far only played for Volendam in the Netherlands and then spent two years with Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
While neither of those leagues are easy to say the least, it is fair to say the Premier League is a considerable step up from both and Van de Ven, who has started both of Tottenham’s games so far, is more than willing to admit he’s been left shocked.
Fortunately for the youngster, he appears to be working under a manager in Ange Postecoglou who is more than willing to give him time to develop.
The Australian arrived as Tottenham’s new manager this summer and has immediately set out his stall to continue the principles he was praised for at Celtic.
This has been seen in his decision to hand youngster’s or forgotten players their chance to impress, with the likes of Van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie and Oliver Skipp all handed a chance to impress in those games.
Working with raw talent in the Premier League is a risky venture but Postecoglou has taken it and Van den Ven is keen to praise him for the patience he is showing.
“A very calm man, very clear in what we have to do. I think that’s the most important thing,” he added.
“He doesn’t want to be very on top of everything, you have that too. He expects from his central defenders that we are very high and that we continue to play football.
“Even if you win the ball in your own box, even then he wants you to build up.”
