Brighton and Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Heck could become better than Jaap Stam, with the Netherlands already impressed by him.
That’s at least if the latest comments from ESPN analysts Kees Luijckx and Marciano Vink, via Soccer News, are anything to go by.
They’ve been busy heaping praise on the Brighton defender today after he impressed while on international duty with the Netherlands.
It’s been a solid two years of progression for Van Hecke to this point after he returned to Brighton from a loan spell at Blackburn Rovers in 2022.
Since then, he’s established himself as a regular under Roberto de Zerbi and now Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton and broken through on the international stage as well.
He made his debut for the Netherlands in September last year, coming on at half time in a 2-2 draw with Germany, and hasn’t looked back since, adding another 90 minutes against Hungary in November.
The Brighton defender then played every minute of the double-header with Spain in the UEFA Nations League quarter finals during this international break.
He appears to be very much in favour under Ronald Koeman and both Luijckx and Vink can see why, praising the Brighton defender today.
“We have a very special defender,” Luijckx stated on the ESPN program Football Talk.
“Seven years ago, he was with the amateurs. He’s open everywhere. At some point you will come to a level that you expect him to make mistakes.
“If you have a coach who prefers to make a mistake, which gives you three goals against, but that you give that game and we create 25 chances and they score more, then you get so much confidence. You can see how much confidence he plays football,” continued Vink.
“Some duels he takes on. He stepped in a number of times, in midfield and often in his own sixteen, how he dives before it… There is a very large piece of Matthijs de Ligt in him, but he still has the control not to make that mistake that De Ligt makes in recent years.
“His play is really great. If you look at him, you don’t expect him to be such a good footballer. He has the peace and dares to give the passes. I think he can do much better than what he’s showing now. He can be one of the leaders in the back with the Dutch national team.
“He has these technical qualities. His great strength is in his head. If you can push through without any education,” added Luijckx. “Jaap Stam had that a bit,” countered Vink, before Luijckx went one step further; “but he didn’t have Van Hecke’s pass.”
