Manchester United were torn apart by Tottenham Hotspur on home soil over the weekend, with fans left wondering how and why their £600 million+ worth of signings couldn’t prevent such a capitulation.
Meanwhile, three of Ange Postecoglou’s acquisitions directly played their part in claiming a much-needed three points behind enemy lines, as Micky van de Ven sliced through United’s midfield and defence like butter to assist Brennan Johnson for his third-minute opener, while summer recruit Dominic Solanke netted their third and final goal of the match.
Van de Ven proceeded to be named Player of the Match thanks to his heroics at the back, with the Reds unable to even get a sniff at Guglielmo Vicario’s goal throughout the 90-minute affair. The Dutch international recorded a pass succession rate of 96.7 per cent while completing 88/91 of his passes. As well as that, he directed five passes into the final third and had three touches in the opposition’s area.
Signing from Wolfsburg on a £43m package deal in 2023, Van de Ven has proven to be worth every penny of what Dan Levy and co forked out for him – and Tim Sherwood believes United missed a trick by not pursuing him at the time.
United should’ve moved for Van de Ven, says Sherwood
“Tottenham have a clear identity out of possession and in possession,” the ex-Tottenham man told Premier League Productions.
“Micky van de Ven picks the ball up… it’s a wide open space – and look at the pace and power of this kid. Then, the ability to find Brennan Johnson with a cross at the far post.
“Manchester United fans must be looking at it and saying, ‘ook, our manager has signed a lot of Dutch players. There is probably one who is very, very good and playing for Tottenham. He might have jumped at the chance to go and play for Man United but never got the opportunity because he took de Ligt over the top of him. This boy is a thoroughbred. I know Michael (Owen) trains racehorses – he would like to have this one in the stable. Look at the pace, power and the ability of that boy.”
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. But you got Harry Maguire, so things aren’t that bad really are they?
Maguire joined Man Utd in 2019. That was three managers ago. Do try and keep up.
Tim Sherwood is a ******* idiot. I’ve been listening to his pontification for years on post-match analysis shows.
He also claimed that Man Utd should have signed Harry Kane and Declan Rice as though the only obstacle were Man Utd’s willingness to do so. Declan Rice went for a record £105m and was beyond the budget (assuming Rice ever really wanted to come to Utd). And anyone who follows transfers knows that Spurs were never going to sell Kane to a PL rival.