TOTTENHAM DEFENDER LABELLED ‘OVERALL PACKAGE’ AS VAN DIJK OVERLOOKED AS BEST ‘IN THE LEAGUE’

Former Premier League defender Sebastien Bassong has labelled “top-notch” Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven as the best defender “in the league” as he is the “overall player”.

Van de Ven was a very important asset at the beginning of last season for Spurs. He and fellow new signing James Maddison were both very influential, and that both were injured in the same game, against Chelsea, hampered the north London outfit.

Tottenham had not lost any of their first 10 games in the Premier League, winning eight of them, and keeping four clean sheets. Of the games the defender was sidelined in (and the one he got injured in), Spurs lost six out of 10.

This season, with Van de Ven playing every minute, Tottenham have conceded one goal, and have won and drawn their opening two games.

According to Bassong, the Dutchman is the most complete defender in the league.

“He is top, top-notch. Honestly, from last season, I couldn’t praise him enough,” Bassong said on talkSPORT.

“Sometimes I go to the game or watch the game, people keep asking me ‘one defender in the league’. I say Van de Ven. For me, he is the overall player.

“He’s quick, strong and good on the ball. He takes risks. Sometimes he oversteps. When he is in trouble, he isn’t panicking. And he is so calm on the ball.

“So, you know, even when he is in a one-v-one situation, he is going to do the job. He is the perfect player.”

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It’s high praise for a defender at just the start of his second season to be placed in such high esteem, ahead of Virgil van Dijk, who is frequently seen as the league’s best centre-back, as a result of his quality and longevity for Liverpool.

Van Dijk could leave Anfield at the end of the summer, with his contract up then, and Van de Ven could potentially then keep the crown for some time.

2024-08-29T11:06:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd