Frank Leboeuf has named one Tottenham Hotspur player in his Premier League team of the season, insisting he had been really surprised by his form this year.
It was definitely a turbulent first season in North London for Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs leading the way in the opening weeks of the campaign before falling away and ultimately missing out on qualifying for the Champions League next year.
The good news is that Postecoglou is working with an extremely young squad who should only continue to improve, particularly after a full summer transfer window and pre-season.
One area of the squad which looks particularly strong right now is at centre-back, with Cristian Romero forming a really strong partnership with Micky van de Ven.
Micky van de Ven a surprise package for Tottenham this season
Many may have been tempted to write Romero off before the season began. Romero would have apparently left Tottenham last summer had Antonio Conte stayed.
But he has become a real leader, and van de Ven has to take a fair amount of credit for that, with the Dutchman enjoying a superb first year in England.
And speaking on ESPN, Leboeuf suggested that he has been so impressed by the 23-year-old as he named him in his team of the season.
“I wanted to put van de Ven because van de Ven was a real surprise, a very good surprise for Spurs and the Premier League,” he said.
Not everyone convinced by Spurs star yet
Van de Ven appears to be so important to the way Postecoglou wants his Tottenham side to play, with his pace enabling Spurs to adopt such a high line. He can rival any player in the division in a foot race.
But it would appear that not everyone is completely convinced about the £34.5 million man, with Alan Shearer suggesting that van de Ven still has more to show.
In truth, that seems to be a slightly unpopular opinion, with Garth Crooks labelling van de Ven flawless in his first year at Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Nemanja Vidic suggested that van de Ven has so much potential. So there is plenty for Tottenham fans to be excited about.