Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King has admitted there is something about Micky van de Ven which has surprised him since joining.
Ange Postecoglou‘s men were able to clinch three important points on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Lilywhites saw their former manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, return to north London for the first time, but his Nottingham Forest side did not prove much of a challenge in the second half.
It is becoming very typical for Spurs to not show their full potential in the opening 45 minutes before really applying the pressure after half time.
That was exactly the case on Sunday with goals from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro helping Spurs to all three points.
Van de Ven’s goal was the first he has ever scored in front of the home fans in north London and his teammates were left impressed by his performance.
There were a number of positive displays on Sunday but captain Heung-min Son remained fairly quiet after his 400 appearance for Spurs during the week against West Ham.
It will now be time to rest up for Spurs before they go again on the weekend as they travel to St. James’ Park for Saturday’s early kick off.
Spurs go into the weekend sitting above Aston Villa on goal different and with a game in hand.
Postecoglou will be hoping his players can open up a three point cushion on their top four rivals before they play Arsenal on Sunday.
King says there’s something that has amazed him in Spurs signing Van de Ven
Over the summer, Spurs saw an awful lot of changes both on and off the pitch with Daniel Levy overseeing one of his biggest summers yet.
The departure of Harry Kane and the search for a new manager were just two of the obstacles which Spurs had to overcome ahead of the new term.
And on top of that, a number of new faces have come through the doors at Hotspur Way with Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson just some of the examples.
The large majority of those signings have been roaring successes, but perhaps the best of all has been Van de Ven.
READ MORE: Get to know Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, from his career stats to his top speed
Having signed from Wolfsburg for £43m, the Dutchman has already been likened to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk by Jamie Redknapp.
Although Spurs have struggled to keep clean sheets this season, it has been evident how much of an improvement Van de Ven has provided at centre-back.
Spurs came into the summer with Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez as the alternative options to Cristian Romero.
Now they have quality options at the back and it is apparent the club legend, King, is amazed bigger club came in for Van de Ven in the summer.
Speaking from the Premier League’s fan fair in America, King spoke to NBC Sports after the 3-1 victory on Sunday.
“Yeah, I’ve been so impressed by him. What’s surprised me is that not too many people knew much about him before he come in. And how has that happened?
“He’s young, he’s left-footed, he’s rapid. You know, everyone should have been after him. It’s been a great find for us.”
Postecoglou was delighted with Van de Ven’s display after his injury issue
It has to be remembered the Dutchman is now just two games in from his return from another hamstring injury.
Yet he is showing no signs of caution after picking up the second hamstring injury of the season just last month.
Speaking to the media after the game, Postecoglou admitted he is loving what he is seeing from Van de Ven both on and off the pitch.
“What I do know is that he’s got a real appetite and determination to be the best he can be. He does that every day and his defensive work was outstanding today and it was a great strike for the goal. It was a well-worked set piece. It’s a credit to him.”