Tottenham: Radu Dragusin can keep ‘World-Class’ Micky van de Ven on the bench after what he did
John Wenham of Lilywhite Rose has challenged Radu Dragusin to keep Micky van de Ven out of Ange Postecoglou’s first team at Tottenham.
Van de Ven has been incredible since he arrived in North London but now looks set for a spell on the sidelines after he limped off in the second half of Spurs’ 4-0 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park (10 March).
Postecoglou has confirmed that while the injury doesn’t look to be a “major” one, the centre-back will spend some time out of action.
This opens the door for Dragusin to make a name for himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Wenham has challenged the 22-year-old to exceed the levels set by van de Ven.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Wenham, the founder of reputable Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose, said: “We went to Villa, a very difficult environment considering the form they have been in at home this season, and he looked completely fine when he came off the bench.
“He helped Spurs to keep their first clean sheet in a very long time. He’s had time to settle in and now it will be about getting a run of games under his belt.
“It’s very difficult to replace two world-class defenders in Cristian Romero and van de Ven, but his display against Villa would have been great for his confidence and his teammates’ confidence in playing alongside him.
“Imagine if he now comes in and does so well that van de Ven struggles to get back into the team, there is no reason why he can’t do that based on the Villa game.
“That is the position we want to be in as a club, where we’re bringing players in who will challenge each other, and as a result, we’ve got serious competition for places.”
Radu Dragusin must follow in the footsteps of Micky van de Ven at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
While plenty of supporters will scoff at the suggestion of Dragusin keeping van de Ven out of Postecoglou’s first team considering the form the Dutchman has been in, there is no reason why he cannot.
In fact, there are a fair few similarities between the two defenders.
Both players are still only 22 and joined Spurs this season, and in the same way that van de Ven has quickly established himself as a regular, there is no reason why Dragusin can’t make the same impact.
He made a fantastic start at Villa Park as he helped Spurs keep their first clean sheet in over two months, and if the Romanian can follow this up with a strong display against Fulham, his confidence will be sky-high heading into the international break.
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