'Van de Ven assist is amazing! No centre-back in the world can do that'

Micky van de Ven produced one of the all-time great Premier League assists in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday. 

Van de Ven beat two Man Utd players to intercept a loose ball in his own half before running over half the length of the pitch to the opposition byline, where he crossed for Brennan Johnson to score. 

Watch Van de Ven's assist v Man Utd

"I don't think there's a centre-half anywhere in the world that can do that. He is so powerful and so fast," said Andy Townsend, the former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder. 

Gary Neville, an eight-time Premier League champion with Man Utd, said on Sky Sports: "It's absolutely brilliant from Van de Ven. He drives through four Manchester United players. It's amazing. Brilliant."

Tim Sherwood, former Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers, said: "Look at the pace and power of this kid. And the ability to find a cross. This boy is a thoroughbred."

It was Van de Ven's second Premier League assist of the season, and remarkably his first, against Everton for Son Heung-min, was extremely similar. 

Watch Van de Ven's similar assist v Everton

After the match, Van de Ven said he didn't even see his cross result in a goal because he was falling over after his run! 

“I intercepted the ball and saw the gap," he recalled. "Then I decided ‘I’m going’. When I got to the box I knew Brennan would be at the back post so just hit it hard between the goalkeeper and the defender. I didn’t even see the goal because I was falling down some stairs!”

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou was a defender in his playing days. When asked if he could have produced an assist like Van de Ven's, he said: "Nowhere near it. Micky's a brilliant footballer, a brilliant defender. A great person. It's the second time this season he's ran nearly the length of the field to set someone up!"

Van de Ven fastest ever

Few players could sprint such a long way and past so many challenges without being tackled, but Van de Ven is one of them. 

He is known as the fastest player in Premier League history. The Dutch defender registered a top speed of 37.38km/h against Brentford last season, a record in the Premier League since the data started being collected in 2020/21.