View: 98% Tottenham star now undroppable, Gary Neville stunned by what he did v Man Utd

Tottenham star Micky van de Ven produced an “absolutely brilliant” performance against Manchester United which left Gary Neville shell-shocked.

Spurs eased their way to a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday 29 September, with Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke grabbing the goals.

Speaking live on Sky Sports (29 September, 4:33 pm), Neville said the run from Van de Ven to set up Johnson’s opener inside three minutes was one of the best he had ever seen from a centre-back.

The Dutchman’s surging 70-yard run saw him breeze past six would-be Manchester United defenders before crossing for Johnson to tap home from close range, setting the tone.

Neville said in the aftermath: “Absolutely brilliant from Van de Ven – one of the best runs I’ve ever seen from a centre-back.”

Micky van de Ven puts on stunning Tottenham show at Old Trafford

From the very first minute, Van de Ven set about marshalling the hosts’ under-par attacking line, and within seconds he’d laid on the assist for Johnson which left Neville in disbelief.

Taken off nine minutes from time, Van de Ven was frankly unplayable in his left-sided centre-back role, getting forward at will to produce 0.09 expected goals and 0.57 expected assists combined [FotMob].

Van de Ven completed an eye-watering 98 per cent of his 87 attempted passes, including of course the assist – his only big chance created – for Johnson which set in motion a dominant Spurs performance.

The defender’s only attempt at goal himself was blocked, with three of his 93 touches coming in the hosts’ box and five of his 85 successful passes going into the final third.

Spurs’ number 37 completed his only attempted long pass too, and while Manchester United hardly threatened at the other end, Van de Ven still proved flawless when called upon.

With four recoveries and a further three defensive actions to his name, Van de Ven completed a block and clearance apiece, as well as winning and conceding one free-kick at either end [FotMob].

The only blemish on Van de Ven’s performance saw him lose more duels than he won, but this was only two to one and a 33 per cent success rate won’t be something Postecoglou highlights as a major worry.

Withdrawn just before full-time to rapturous applause from the away end, it’s clear that Spurs players, management and fans alike know exactly how lucky they are to have Van de Ven on their side.

In other Tottenham news, Ange Postecoglou has a “sublime” new youth product to keep an eye on in North London.

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