Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has revealed who he believes is faster between himself and Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka.
The Dutch international joined Spurs last summer, with Van de Ven quickly becoming a fan favourite in the white half of north London for his defensive performances alongside Cristian Romero, with the youngster winning plaudits for his speed.
Whilst the defender did struggle with injuries, it’s pretty obvious that Tottenham have landed quite a talent in Van de Ven, who in his first year in the Premier League impressed under Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou.
And the defender has now shared if he thinks Saka is faster than him.
Van de Ven says ‘the data’ shows he is faster than Saka
Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad, the former VfL Wolfsburg man smugly said that the data would show who is faster between himself and Saka, with Van de Ven registering one of the fastest top speeds in the Premier League last season.
Van de Ven said: “As a substitute you can be a permanent asset. The role I now have is a substitute. I know Saka from Arsenal. It is up to the national coach whether I start. Who’s faster? Saka or me? If you look at the data, you already know the answer.”
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With the two rivals set to face one another on Wednesday in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, Van de Ven might want to bite his tongue when it comes to beating Saka in a foot-race, given that the Arsenal man scored twice against Tottenham last season.
Moreover, the 22-year-old Arsenal man is coming off the back of arguably his best performance yet for England in an international tournament, with Saka looking like a man possessed in Saturday’s dramatic win against Switzerland.
Van de Ven might have unleashed something scary that Holland will regret
Saka is very much a man for the big moments, with the Arsenal winger turning up last season in huge games against the likes of Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
And after Van de Ven’s comments, there’s a real chance that the Spurs defender might have just unleashed something quite scary for the Netherlands heading into Wednesday’s quarter-final.
Indeed, England fans will want to see Saka build from his incredible match-winning performance on Saturday, and the Arsenal winger now has the motivation to do just that after Van de Ven’s interview.