Gary Lineker: Tottenham ace Micky van de Ven is ‘football cliché’ after draw v Everton
Gary Lineker has labelled Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven a “football cliché” after another strong performance against Everton.
The Dutch defender was one of Tottenham’s brighter players during a 2-2 draw with the Toffees at Goodison Park, showcasing his incredible speed and perfectly timed tackles.
The Spurs centre-back, however, was unable to come to his side’s rescue as Jarrad Branthwaite headed home an equaliser for the Toffees four minutes into injury time.
“Whenever centre-halves are quick, they’re always called Rolls Royces. I don’t know why it’s just one of those football clichés, Lineker said live on BBC’s Match of the Day on Saturday (3 February, 57:00).
Jermaine Jenas added: “He is a Rolls Royce.”
Huge challenge for Everton
Before his injury, van de Ven was one of the most in-form defenders in the Premier League. Despite a long spell on the sidelines, the Spurs man looks back to his best.
With 100 per cent of his tackles won and 75 per cent of his ground duels, as per FotMob, the Toffees were presented with an incredible challenge but still managed to claim a point against the fifth-best team in the division.
Everton also have their influential centre-back in Branthwaite, who also came up with a key moment as he scored the late equaliser to send Goodison Park wild.
The 21-year-old is one of the most in-demand defenders in world football, let alone the Premier League. It is only a matter of time until the club lose the defender to the likes of Real Madrid or Manchester United.
Despite two very decent individual displays in defence, the four goals provided much entertainment in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
In other Everton news, a BBC journalist shared what the fans did v Spurs.
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