Micky van de Ven has downplayed the furore over his post-match snub of manager Thomas Frank, insisting it was misinterpreted after Tottenham's Premier League defeat by Chelsea. The centre-half preferred to focus on how the team responded with a 4-1 thrashing of FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday, a match in which he scored a sensational individual goal.
Van de Ven's run from his own penalty area to score drew comparisons with Son Heung-min's Puskas Award-winning strike in 2019. The Dutchman said he saw the gap opening and decided to go all the way. 'I was like: OK, I keep going now, I need to finish this,' he said. 'Luckily it happened.' The victory lifted spirits after the Chelsea defeat, during which Van de Ven and Djed Spence walked past Frank without acknowledging the supporters, later apologising on Sunday.
Van de Ven, the fastest player in Premier League history, has six goals this season, making him Spurs' top scorer. His reputation for storming runs is well established, with assists against Everton and Manchester United last season. He now looks ahead to Saturday's home match against Manchester United before the international break, describing it as 'really tough and an important game'.
