Peter Schmeichel has picked out Micky van de Ven for special praise and questioned why the defender was not on Manchester United’s radar before he joined Tottenham.

Van de Ven is enjoying his third full season with Tottenham having completed a move from Wolfsburg for a fee of around £35million back in 2023.

In that time, the 24-year-old centre-back has made 81 appearances in all competitions for Spurs while helping the club end their long wait for silverware in the Europa League last term.

Despite Tottenham’s lowly position this season, Van de Ven continues to earn himself plenty of admirers with his performances at the heart of Thomas Frank’s defence alongside Cristian Romero.

However, the Netherlands international has been forced to sit out Spurs’ last two matches through injury.

Though Van de Ven missed Sunday’s fightback against Manchester City, the Dutchman’s prominence is such that he was one of the main topics of conversation amongst Viaplay’s punditry team ahead of kick-off.

According to Schmeichel, Van de Ven’s ‘great instincts’ and ‘speed’ make him a vitally important figure for Tottenham and the side’s success going forward.

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