Alan Shearer compares Micky van de Ven to Champions League winner as Tottenham beat Villarreal

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Micky van de Ven earned high praise from Premier League legend Alan Shearer during Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League victory over Villarreal, as he was compared to a European champion.

Spurs have returned to Europe’s top tier after lifting the Europa League trophy last term, and Lucas Bergvall sealed them a 1-0 victory after benefiting from a clanger from Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior in the first half.

Van de Ven, who scored in the 3-0 demolition of rivals West Ham on Saturday, put in another solid performance for Thomas Frank’s side, frequently snuffing out Villarreal pressure especially in the second half.

But it’s one other aspect of his game that led Shearer – who also gave an honest verdict on Daniel Levy – to compare him to a former Manchester United centre-back.

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Micky van de Ven plays like former Manchester United ace Jaap Stam, says Alan Shearer

Working as co-commentator for Amazon Prime Sport for the fixture, Shearer was full of praise for the defender when he stopped a Villarreal attack with a clean tackle in the second half. Van de Ven has been crowned as the fastest player in the Premier League since records began, and his speed was key for plenty of Tuesday night’s clash when the visitors looked to counter.

Asked if any star’s pace during his playing days compared to the Spurs man’s, the Newcastle icon said: “Jaap Stam wasn’t the slowest, he was pretty quick once he got into his stride.”

Stam won the Champions League with Manchester United in 1999, winning the Premier League three times and the FA Cup once with them too.

“He’s also got someone besides him that he believes in, who knows his game and they like playing with each other,” Shearer added.

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Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero ‘key’ to Tottenham Hotspur

Shearer was full of praise for both centre-backs during the game. Speaking about Frank’s centre-back pairing at the start of the clash, the Premier League record goalscorer said: “If they can keep those two fit at the back, that is key to them I think.

“Two very, very experienced, know how to do it centre-halves. No nonsense as well.”

With three points on the board in the Champions League, Tottenham will look to build on their impressive start to the season against Brighton on Saturday.