Eamon Dunphy has compared Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven to Liverpool captain Vigil van Dijk.
Speaking on The Stand, Dunphy suggested that Van de Ven boasts similar qualities to that of Van Dijk.
Tottenham were hit with a huge blow on Monday evening as Van de Ven was forced off with a hamstring injury during the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea.
The 22-year-old has been exceptional for Spurs after completing the switch to North London from Wolfsburg over the summer.
Indeed, Glenn Hoddle raved about Van de Ven ahead of Tottenham’s game on Monday night, claiming the youngster has ‘got everything’.
Such has been Van de Ven’s impact at Spurs during the early stages of the season that there are concerns over how they will cope with his absence.
And Dunphy feels losing Van de Ven will be a huge blow for Tottenham.
Dunphy compares Van de Ven to Van Dijk
Dunphy discussed Van de Ven’s injury on The Stand and handed him huge praise by comparing him to Van Dijk.
“Van de Ven, who is an outstanding centre-half, Dutch, got all the quality if you like that Van Dijk has, much younger of course, quick, very good on the ball, very good defender,” he said.
“He pulled up with a hamstring on the stroke of half-time which incidentally was 12 minutes after the normal 45.
“It was high up his hamstring, which are the bad ones.”
Van Dijk has arguably been the best centre-back in world football over the past few seasons, despite a drop-off in form last term.
The 31-year-old has rediscovered his best form this season and it’s no secret that he helped to transform Liverpool’s backline after arriving from Southampton in 2018.
Van de Ven was having a similar impact on Tottenham’s backline as he struck up a promising partnership with Cristian Romero.
While the Dutchman has a long way to go to reach the levels Van Dijk has maintained for years, he’s certainly got a bright future ahead of him.
It’s such a shame to see the youngster pick up an injury after such an encouraging start to life in the Premier League. Spurs will be hoping for some positive news on Van de Ven in the coming days as they prepare for a trip to Wolves on Saturday.