Micky van de Ven has played down the controversy over his refusal to acknowledge manager Thomas Frank after Tottenham's Premier League defeat to Chelsea, insisting it was blown out of proportion. The centre-half scored a stunning solo goal in Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League win over FC Copenhagen, a performance he said demonstrated the team's positive response.
Van de Ven was filmed walking off the pitch with teammate Djed Spence after Saturday's loss, ignoring Frank's attempts to get them to acknowledge the home fans. He said the incident was misinterpreted. 'It's the past so I don't want to make it bigger than it is. We were just frustrated after the game and everything got really exploded by the media,' he said.
The 23-year-old, who has six goals this season and is the club's top scorer, described his goal against Copenhagen as a result of seeing a gap open in front of him. 'I got the ball on the edge of my own box and saw the gap opening. When I was past the defenders, the way was open to the goal. I kept going and I needed to finish it.'
Van de Ven, recognised as the fastest player in Premier League history, has built a reputation for driving runs from deep. His assist against Everton and goal against Copenhagen have drawn comparisons to Son Heung-min's Puskas Award-winning effort. 'It's a really important win to go towards Manchester United on Saturday,' he added.
The Netherlands international acknowledged his early season form has exceeded expectations. 'No, six goals is a lot already. I don't know where it's going to end but hopefully I can score more this season.'
