Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has drawn similarities between Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven and Gareth Bale following his heroics against Manchester United.
Tottenham have completely turned around their fortune with four wins in a row after a poor start to the new season. They have been on a roll of late and are gearing up to face Ferencvárosi on matchday 2 of the Europa League.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of a dominating display against Manchester United away from home. They smashed the Red Devils 3-0 at Old Trafford and their £34 million star Micky van de Ven was the start on the night. Gary Neville has hailed the Dutch international for his performance and the United legend suggested that his run for the first goal of the game was the best he has seen from a centre-back.
While speaking on It’s Called Soccer! podcast, Neville said: “The run from Van de Ven for the first goal at Old Trafford, it’s probably the best run I’ve ever seen from a centre-back. Certainly live! It was absolutely incredible.
“The actual cross at the end of it was spectacular.
“I’ve got this major problem at the moment with centre-backs rolling their foot on the ball, passing it back to one another, passing it sideways, passing it to the goalkeeper… It’s boring me to death!
“So to actually see a centre-back drive forward with the ball, we don’t see that as much anymore. We don’t tend to see centre-backs driving into space, running with the ball, committing people.
“He has an unbelievable running style.
“He’s got such power in his running. He’s got such a unique running style for a centre-back.
“It’s almost like a sort of Gareth Bale-style running action.”
Van de Ven intercepted the ball in his own half and he used his exceptional pace to run straight past everyone. He squared the ball into the path of Brennan Johnson who slotted it home. It was an incredible run and the former United full-back was delighted to see the centre-back take the risk and run with everything he has got. He believes it was the best run he has ever seen from a centre-back and the final pass was also spot on.
Neville went on to compare him with former Tottenham and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale who had a very similar running style. He was well known for his explosive and powerful bursts of pace, which allowed him to glide past some of the best defenders in the world. The former United defender feels Van de Ven is quite similar to Bale in those aspects.
